The Sixers, who are weighing what changes to make to their roster this offseason, continue to insist they’re committed Ben Simmons for the long term. However, if the 76ers seriously explore a potential Simmons trade this offseason, the Timberwolves are among the teams expected to show interest, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North said on The Scoop (audio link).
“I texted with somebody that knows Ben Simmons incredibly well (and) has working knowledge of all things NBA,” Wolfson said. “My text the other day said, ‘How badly do the Wolves want to trade for Ben Simmons?’ This individual sent me a text back, it was one word: ‘Badly.’
“Make no mistake, the Wolves have trade interest in Ben Simmons,” Wolfson continued. “… (President of basketball operations) Gersson Rosas is going to show – or already has, going back many months – interest in Ben Simmons.”
As Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes, the Wolves probably aren’t parting with Karl-Anthony Towns or Anthony Edwards in any deal this offseason. That would leave D’Angelo Russell as the likely centerpiece in any offer for Simmons. Alternatively, Minnesota could package Malik Beasley and Ricky Rubio in order to put together enough salary to match Simmons’ $33MM+ cap hit.
However, even if the Wolves were to add draft picks to their offers, it’s unclear how appealing those offers would be to Daryl Morey and the Sixers. Should the 76ers move their three-time All-Star, they’d want to make a deal that would improve the team’s chances of competing for a title in 2022, rather than one heavy on draft picks. Morey would likely aim higher than a package headed by Russell or Beasley/Rubio.
Still, it’s an interesting idea, particularly given the Wolves’ quest to add a power forward this summer. While Simmons has been considered a point guard for the majority of his NBA career, the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is more than capable of guarding threes and fours, which would make him an intriguing fit in Minnesota.
Beasley, Rubio, 2023 and 2025 top 3 protected firsts to third team
Third team offers the players 76ers want
Wolves love overpaid
Wolves GMs want to trade future for present
Wolves have no future career if they play lottery in 2023 and 2023
2022 and 2023 picks to Kings
Fox to 76ers
Cavs get Rubio, Beasley, Wolves 2025 pick
Wolves get Simmons
76ers get Sexton, Osman and Prince and 2023 pick
Cavs giving up way too much and/or receiving too little.
No interest in Sexton. He is not a winning player.
Beasley has the issue with winning. I cannot see Cavs being interested.
Cavs may value Rubio though, depending on the draft. If no Suggs, after the draft, the 2023 first and Rubio would look good enough to take Beasley for flipping (hopefully).
There are smaller pieces that are positive: Jay Nowell, Naz Ried, Jaden Mcdaniels. The latter would benefit from competing vs KLove in a full-season runup. Also, Layman, Okogie, Culver are all preferrable to the Beasley contract. These are all $1.7to$3.9m contracts; Culver, $6.9m. Some combo is better than Beasley.
Nor is Simmons apparently!
Simmons for Dame (with other pieces as needed). How doesn’t it make sense?
What an absurd thing to say. He hasn’t been tested in a playoff situation so how do you arrive at that conclusion? He scored 24 ppg on efficient 48/37/82 shooting. Even with his lack of D how is that not a good thing, assuming you have other good pieces around him including a PG? He may not be a #1 on a championship team but he can certainly make a huge impact
Having a conversation with yourself here, bud?
Nothing wrong with that. It really is the only way to guarantee your conversational partner is not an idiot.
That’s right hiflew. Once again you have showcased brilliant insight. Kudos, pal.
Lmao that gave me a good laugh
Sillivan :cavs gm laught in the floor if he read urs comment..
Unless you are talking about the number of picks the Kings get, there is no way that happens.
Nothing the wolves have interest me as a sixers fan.
There’s a reason the Wolves are trash
Exactly. If I’m not getting Edwards we aren’t even having a conversation. Even if I am getting Edwards I’m still hanging up with a no.
IF I am the 76ers the conversation starts with Edwards in the package. No Edwards in the deal then no deal. Beasley or rubio plus a couple draft picks. Edwards would need to be the key to getting Simmons.
Realistically there’s no way Edwards gets offered for Simmons. That contract exchange is too lopsided.
If you match it with other contracts, sure it can. Just like Wiseman could be an offered piece in a Dame trade.
Dame doesn’t make sense for the warriors since he and Curry are pretty much the same player. Just like Simmons make no sense for the warriors because he and Green are much the same player. The good thing about Simmons is he can improve his shot but just needs the determination to be a gym rat all offseason.
Either one of them can play the 2. they would each need to sacrifice some shots but they could figure it out.
You would be a fool not to want Russell. He’s exactly what the 76ers need. A point guard who can get his own shot and shoot from the perimeter. 43/38/77.
PLAYMAKING PG-POWER WING-DOMINANT CENTER
good bench.
I don’t blame you but Russell might end up being the among the best offers.
Russell for all his faults is a 20 ppg perimeter scorer. Above average distributor and 3p shooter.
He’s a sieve on defense but Philly needs a guy who can play now. GSW can make you a better offer but is Wiggins and picks a better fit next to Embiid? Is McCollum better? Eh
Oh I’d take McCollum over either of those guys 100 times out of 100. I have no interest in Russell or Wiggins.
I called this one a couple of weeks ago. I truly it will be Beasley, Rubio and a future 1st. Normally, Simmons would be worth more, but his PERCEIVED value right now is the lowest it has ever been in Philly. Philly doesn’t like him and he doesn’t seem to like Philly as much as either should.
His perceived value is his true value. The Sixers aren’t getting any big return for him, regardless of his defense and his abilities as a facilitator. They will have to settle for whatever a team like Minnesota is willing to give them.
I think his actual value on court is more than he will get in trade this year. He just needs to be on a team where is not the primary ball handler and is not the primary scorer. As an interior passer, he would be almost without equal. Same as a defender on a forward. But Philly keeps trying to make him something he is not. He is a good PG, but he could be an all time great power forward with just a little work on his shot.
No way the Wolves don’t give up Russell too. 76ers need a PG and a PF.
They won’t get Russell too. Money doesn’t work to get Russell, Beasley, and Rubio. It would have to be Russell OR Beasley and Rubio. I guess you’d be able to add on a lower salary like Jarred Vanderbilt or Leandro Bolmaro to either package.
Space COULD be made by renouncing Danny Green, but I don’t see Minny giving up Russell and Beasley in the deal.
Drop Rubio and add another player from 76ers if salary is needed. 76ers add future picks. 76ers are gonna want enough to compete wioth Nets. Russell and Beasley aren’t exactly world beaters
I guess a Russell/Beasley for Simmons/George Hill deal would work. Whether Minnesota would want that or a third team to take on Hill would be needed, who knows. But it would work money wise with probably some draft compensation added in, but not much would be needed IMO.
Russell ans Beasley are B tier players. You guys are rediculas, if Philadelphia can’t get what Ben is worth they will just hold him longer and rework around him, as they have already stated they would do, stop pretending the most obvious option doesn’t exist just because it doesn’t fit your expectations.
Russell was the main piece traded for Kevin Durant, I think he is a big enough to be traded for Simmons.
That KD trade was a formality to help GS get some value he was leaving regardless, nice stretch though lol
why would it be Russell AND Rubio? Both point guards.
why would it be Russell AND Rubio? Both point guards. And honestly, theTwolves aren’t throwing in the towel. How does this make them better?
You didn’t call enough for the 6ers. Plus they will wait on Lowery at PG.
I personally think a package of Rubio, Culver and Okogie would work. Gives the 76ers some depth pieces and a high energy guy like okogie
Could work as a Culver/Okogie pairing would have far less off court baggage as Beasley. But if you just factor on court work, I’d much rather have Beasley than the younger duo. Especially on a team built to win now like Philly.
With all due respect, that’s one of the worst packages I’ve seen for Simmons.
Morey would have a nice laugh at that offer before hanging up the phone. Why do people in this thread think Rubio has any value whatsoever?
He’s an expiring deal, plus he is a decent stopgap at PG. He’s not worthless, he’s just not a franchise player. He does have value, both as a player and as a contract.
But he doesn’t stretch the floor for the same reason Simmons doesn’t. HE CAN’T SHOOT FROM THE PERIMETER!! Only thing he does better than Simmons is his FT%. He shoots 30%from 3pt land. That’s horrible but probably not as bad as Simmons if he attempted to shoot but not good enough to draw a defender out to guard him and open up things in the post.
At this point your literally joking. They will keep him if he doesn’t have meaningful value, they would be better off holding him ans reducing his role to only what he does best when he does it best before destroying their entire team to make your POS franchise better (the Wolves will never be good regardless).
Simmons would fit well on the Wolves. But there aren’t trade assets apart from Towns, Edwards and their 1st’s. DiLo? Are you kidding? Rubio and the overpaid Beasley work for salary purposes, but both guys are bad contracts. Maybe it happens, but I just don’t see Morey selling THAT low on Simmons. Of course, Wolves’ 1st’s are likely still valuable and maybe a bunch of them gets it done. One 1st is just the price of taking on the bad contracts.
If Philly is intent on giving Simmons away, I’d have no issue with the Knicks taking him. They can give the Sixers a more valuable commodity – nothing – or cap space.
How is Russell NOT a perfect fit for 76ers? A pg that can create his own shot and shoot the 3.
I actually wasn’t addressing fit, because there’s a more fundamental problem with using Russell as the key piece in the deal. He has negative value. If for some reason Philly wants a shoot first (blinders on) PG, who is low efficiency, they don’t need to assume a max contract to get one.
Since you mentioned it though, with Simmons gone, I would think Philly would prioritize getting a facilitator as a PG. So, I don’t think he would fit either.
D’Angelo averaged 5.8 assists. How is he not a facilitator? True there’s levels to this but he’s got as many as Brogden, Curry, Lonzo and only 1 less than Simmons. Neither is a perfect PG but Russell fits better.
Might be the best fit in the league for Ben –
The future firsts could probably actually get it done (W Rubios expiring and filler (beasley) but the problem is Philly is probably looking to move forward not stock pile future assets today…
Perhaps a 3rd team gets involved and this becomes a whole lot more doable – Id be intrigued by a KAT Ben Ant trio ………man that DLO trade set this teams climb back 3~4 years it {seems} when all said and done . Id like to see Minny make some noise sooner rather than later, their fans deserve some good
I actually think Golden State is the best fit for Simmons but other moves would have to be made. They’d have to move Green but Ben with Klay and Steph around him to open up the floor is nuts.
Warriors would not move Draymond Green to make Ben Simmons work.
The Timberwolves can keep dreaming about this guy. There’s no way they’re getting him. They don’t have the capital to pull off a deal. They don’t even have THIS year’s number one so next year’s is untradable. Next available first-rounder they can trade away is 2023.., 2 years away LOL !!
Plus they don’t have the players, as everybody is stating above. They took their shot at getting a key player and they blew it. Wolves management is like my ex girlfriend at the mall. “I want this one and I also want that one and then that one also over there.” No babe, pick one and that’s it. Make it a good choice because you’re sticking with it for a while.
Think a 3 team trade is doable still….
Minnys future first’s will probably hold extreme value to rebuilders (3rd team) considering, well ,they are Minny….
Do they dare touch the stove again tho ?? Im all for trading firsts for legit NBA players, even teams playing on the come like Minny ; but DLo still has to sting
@Gary – Are you sure you didn’t circle back and get her at least one of the other ones?
Wolves can trade 2022 after the draft. It’s hard to see a deal like this getting done prior to the new league year in any event. Rosas is pregnant at this point, he’s remade the entire roster (ex Towns) and is sitting out the draft (with the new owners watching and perhaps wondering why they’re not picking too). He’ll push the boundaries of the Stepein rule and empty the cupboard.
Just wait until the draft and then next year’s 1st can be included, right? Some combo of Dlo, Beasley, Okogie, Rubio plus one or two 1sts might be enough. Make it a three team trade if needed. Including Ant is a nonstarter.
Philly don’t want the dudes you don’t want for your team, this isn’t a wishlist bud.
I dont know if I can trust a man who took his girlfriend to the mall at any point after 1987
Ha Ha Ha I say Rubio does nothing for me as do any future draft picks. With that being said Russell is the only asset that interests me and that falls way way short of Simmons league value. No deal here.
Maybe a trip to the Mayo Clinic can diagnose why Simmons can’t shoot a ball over 5 feet?
The T-wolves future draft picks should carry aot of weight considering the probability it’s a lottery pick. I think an unprotected 2023 pick along with Rubio and Beasley would be a great trade for both sides. I don’t understand how when the wolves traded for Russell it costed them a guy who averaged 20+ points/game plus a lottery pick and now he’s not considered close in value to a player who coaches wouldn’t trust on the court at crunch time
Yeah so much for that year of GSW education.
Russell was injured half the year, but he should be worth more at midseason if he tries harder on defense. He gets into mentalities and experience should help his control in keeping it positive. He messed up but made money, found friends. Dude should settle down, make it work.
That guy.. You mean the all nba player your literally wanting for your team lol? Everyone know Minnesota pooped the bed on DLO, and he is over paid, the 6ers don’t care about your overpay they will only trade fair value. Also Ben brought the 6ers to the best record in the East, what did DLO do for y’all?
I don’t know if you guys watch the Wolves but they have some talent. Russell was the negative.
I would want Edwards, Beasley and either McFadden or Vanderbilt. Minny is going to try and cuff McFadden because he is the definition of a rising star and most people don’t know it yet.
Beasley, Vanderbilt, McFadden, Nowell, Naz Reid, Edwards all can ball.. Culver could develop into a Josh Richardson but I’m not really that much of a fan.
The fact that Culver, Russell and Okogie are who are being mentioned as pieces means you guys haven’t seen any Wolves games this year. Those are the 3 guys on the team that carry negative value.
The T-wolves future draft picks should carry a lot of weight considering the probability it’s a lottery pick. I think an unprotected 2023 pick along with Rubio and Beasley would be a great trade for both sides. I don’t understand how when the wolves traded for Russell it costed them a guy who averaged 20+ points/game plus a lottery pick and now he’s not considered close in value to a player who coaches wouldn’t trust on the court at crunch time
Not sure how well that would sit with Towns if DLo was part of any trade. DLo is in Minny because of Towns and their friendship off the court.
Exactly. I think trading him would just cause trust issues with KAT. I think they try everything they can to make it work without including him.
Not a Simmons fan at all but you don’t give him away. He is what he is. He won’t put the work in to be a shooter. The guy can defend, distribute, and run. You have to take him off the court at the end of the game. The real issue is the Tobis contract for what he is he is overpaid.
Rubio is a negative value for the Sixers. He cannot shoot, hes aging, he is only valuable as a contract to trade. The Minn picks don’t do much for the Sixers either because Embiids timeline is not like other superstars. At the end of his contract he could be cooked.
If you did it…
Sixers get Beasley, Sexton, and Prince, and a 1st.
Cavs get Rubio and a 1st and a couple 2nds one from Sixers and 1 from Minn.
Minn gets Ben Simmons.
I’ve wanted Sexton on this team since he came into the league. Beasley albeit an idiot off the court is a walking bucket like a JR Smith. Idk where Prince is at with rehab, but the money side works. But the Sixers can probably use his contract in a trade at the deadline.
Anyone that thinks Simmons is going to be the center piece in some superstar like Beal or Lillard going back to Philly is crazy, sorry!
Simmons is underrated now after his post season, but remember the rockets had no interest in a package built around Simmons for harden. They took oladipo and draft picks instead.
Simmons trade value has gotten worse since that time. Philly would be smart to keep him but that’s not Morey’s way of doing things. I’d be shocked if Simmons isn’t traded for a package that gives philly a lot more shooting and probably a future pick that could become a great trade asset under the right circumstances.
Beasley, mcdaniels, and two future firsts (with some protection on at least one) from the wolves would almost certainly get it done. Whether that’s something the wolves want to do is another matter, but Simmons isn’t valued as most fans seem to think, the harden deal proved that.
With Morey’s departure and his relationship with Feritta I wouldn’t put much stock in cold trade talks for Harden to Philly.
That said I think your proposal is fair. Beasley makes an immediate impact, and no way those picks aren’t top 10 even 3 years from now.
Rockets leaked that they wouldn’t trade tih Philly because of the whole GM thing, nobody puts stock in that. There are 30 teams, and many of them can offer much better packages than the Wolves, who have two really good young players (Edwards ans KAT) that they won’t move and a bunch of role players (most of which are overpaid or rookies).
Not the TWolves, but how about Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier for Simmons plus…?
Sixers get a point guard and the guy they clearly wish Simmons was, and then Simmons can play the 5 in Charlotte and be oop-buddies with LaMelo and spend their free time Instagram’ing each other.
Simmons is the SOLE reason the sixers didn’t move on , but now their fans think he’s a top 20 player in the NBA.
Beasley and Rubio are enough for Simmons. For christs sakes the guy can’t shoot free throws better than most high school players.
The local doobie dealers will jump for joy seeing Beasley come to town….gonna need to get the Amish raising another 10 acres just for Malik!!!!!!!!!!!!