The Minnesota Timberwolves are rumored to have significant interest in Ben Simmons. While the 24-year-old’s trade value has never been lower, the Sixers are sure to get a healthy dose of trade offers this summer.
Simmons already has three All-Star appearances on his resume, and finished runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. A great many franchises would benefit from his presence.
On that note, it makes complete sense for Minnesota to express interest. The Wolves have been trying (and failing) to dig out of the lottery for a hot minute. Karl-Anthony Towns will not commit to mediocrity forever, and the Wolves’ primary need — defensive versatility — happens to coincide with Simmons’ primary strength.
The Timberwolves are interested, and the Sixers have reason to sell. Could Ben Simmons end up in the frigid north?
The only issue is Minnesota’s prospective trade offers. Unless Towns or Anthony Edwards, the reigning first overall pick, are involved in negotiations, it’s hard to imagine a suitable package from just Minnesota. If anything, it may take a third team, or some intense creativity, to make things work.
That said, the NBA is a league where players and front offices alike carry power. If the Wolves truly want Ben Simmons, and are willing to pay the necessary price to get him, then there is doubtlessly a way to accomplish it. Daryl Morey and Wolves President Gersson Rosas have a long personal history, and would therefore know how to work together. Towns and Simmons are good friends.
The seeds are planted — can they grow?
Timberwolves Ben Simmons trade scenario #1 — Sixers draw in OKC
If the Sixers have interest in Kemba Walker, he should not be hard to get. The Thunder have no interest in winning games yet, and any slight improvement in value — such as a younger D’Angelo Russell with one less year on his contract — should bring them to the negotiating table. If the Sixers a determined to move on from Simmons, then this is a fair starting point.
The Wolves unload two protected first-round picks, as well Russell and Malik Beasley, both of whom are cleanly replaced in the rotation by Ben Simmons and George Hill. The Wolves get another All-Star next to KAT and Ant, while also getting a solid two-way guard with over a decade of NBA experience.
The Sixers keep Beasley, who is a much more intriguing long-term prospect than Russell, and flip the latter (Simmons’ former high school teammate, no less) to OKC for the more experienced Walker. While health is a major concern for Walker, as is defense, he is still a lightning-rod scorer who provides a long-missing dynamic to the Sixers’ offense.
Ty Jerome is somewhat of a throw-in here, but if the Sixers are going to offer up two reserve guards, it would make sense to get one back. The Thunder can invest in Milton’s long-term upside as a scorer in the second unit, while Jerome’s 3-point shot and sound decision-making would give him a chance to crack the rotation in Philly. He averaged 10.7 points and hit 42.3 percent of his 3s last season.
Timberwolves Ben Simmons trade scenario #2 — Collin Sexton to Sixers
Another three-teamer, this time with Cleveland jumping in the mix. The Cavs will reportedly consider moving Collin Sexton, and for good reason. He’s in line for a major extension next summer, and Cleveland probably needs to choose between one of their 6-foot guards eventually. Darius Garland is the better prospect.
That said, Sexton does have his intrigues. First and foremost, a simple glance at the numbers. In just his third NBA season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists on .475/.371/.815 shooting splits. He’s an efficient volume scorer, and that’s something the Sixers could use in Ben Simmons’ stead.
The downside to Sexton is the widespread speculation that his teammates despise him for a lack of team-oriented basketball. He can play selfishly at times, and while a shot-happy young guy in Cleveland is acceptable, Joel Embiid may not be so forgiving to a guard who doesn’t know his place on the roster.
This trade would require confidence on the Sixers’ part that Sexton’s strengths will translate, and his weaknesses will mitigate in the presence of a competitive roster and superior teammates. He has free reign in Cleveland, which would abruptly cease in Philadelphia. Doc Rivers is not my favorite coach — that is well documented — but he’s notorious for telling guys their roles and getting them to buy in. Sexton is a hard-worker with a clear dedication to personal improvement. There’s reason to believe he can improve in a different team context.
In addition to Sexton, the Sixers also get a veteran Ricky Rubio on an expiring $17.3 million contract — which can get moved for a different player before the trade deadline — and Malik Beasley once again. The Wolves get Ben, while the Cavs get more young prospects, a future first, and the luxury of not throwing $30 million at Collin Sexton. Everyone goes home happy, to some degree.
This trade (and the one before it), however, does leave Philadelphia with a start lack of perimeter defense. Outside of Matisse Thybulle, there aren’t any players on the roster who I would trust to contain elite guards and wings at the point of attack. It would therefore be prudent for Daryl Morey to make other moves, so as not to leave Joel Embiid on an island defensively. Also, Morey would need to consider the backfire potential of signing Sexton to such a massive deal.
Timberwolves Ben Simmons trade scenario #3 — Sixers grab a familiar face
The Sixers could, in theory, just take the root of these lack couple packages — Ricky Rubio and his hefty expiring contract, Malik Beasley, Jarrett Culver or Josh Okogie, and a couple first-round picks. That would fall in range, I would expect, of Ben Simmons’ perceived trade value at the moment, and both Rubio and Beasley would prove valuable members of the Sixers’ rotation.
That said, in this variation, the Sixers get a pair of expiring contracts from Chicago in the form of Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky — both of whom would factor into the rotation immediately. Young is the ideal backup big, with the ability to shoot, pass, and defend all over the floor. He can slot in as a small-ball five, or share the court with Joel Embiid. His $14.1 million contract is not an overpay and the Sixers, unlike Chicago, are certain to appreciate his skill set.
Satoransky is a tall point guard who can shoot the 3 and run the offense with a steady hand. He could step into the starting five, but more likely, he would join the likes of George Hill and Tyrese Maxey in forming an offensively versatile, guard-heavy second unit.
And, of course, there’s Malik Beasley, the one common factor on Philadelphia’s end in all three of these trades. If the Wolves hold tight to Anthony Edwards — they will — then Beasley is the big get. Russell is not as good a fit as people think he is, and the contract is brutal. Beasley is on a dandy $14.3 million contract, though the jail sentence he is currently serving is no doubt a red flag.
The Sixers are not going to get a star of comparable value to Simmons unless something seismic — such as a Damian Lillard trade request — falls into Philadelphia’s lap. His trade value is simply too low to expect even fair compensation. That said, the pressure to appease Joel Embiid, and not construct a more fluid offense come postseason, could force Morey to get creative and settle for multiple good pieces, rather than one great piece. None of these trades, however, would serve as Morey’s only move, and all of them could be used as precursors to other trades.