If the Sixers are looking to move Ben Simmons as soon as possible to end the drama surrounding the situation, another team currently dealing with some drama might be open to helping them out.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Minnesota Timberwolves “are in the middle of trying to make a play” for Simmons, who has demanded a trade from the Sixers.
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Of course, there is plenty going on with the Timberwolves right now, as they fired head of basketball operations Gersson Rosas on Wednesday. The report, however, seems to indicate the Timberwolves are still working on a potential deal.
If the Timberwolves are still interested in making a trade, chances are it would have to center around guard D’Angelo Russell.
Russell, who makes similar money as Simmons, checks one very key box for the Sixers — he is a willing and capable shooter from three. Russell shot just under 39% from three last season on 7.4 attempts per game, and just under 37% from three the season before on nearly 10 attempts per game. He is not the defensive player that Simmons is, but Russell is the score-first, three-point shooting guard the Sixers have desperately needed the past few postseasons.
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If the Sixers decide they don’t want to move Simmons for Russell, and instead want to wait for a bigger, more established All-Star to become available, they could be entering a very ugly situation when camp opens later this month.
Multiple reports, presumably leaked by Simmons’ camp, have made it very clear he will not be coming to training camp. The Sixers can fine and suspend Simmons if he doesn’t come to training camp when it starts at the end of the month. Simmons, however, is on a five-year, $177 million contract — meaning the fines might not be enough to convince him to come back to Philadelphia.
Chances are Simmons will eventually report if the Sixers continue to fine him, but the team has to wonder if they would be better off trading Simmons now and moving on from him as opposed to forcing him to come and dealing with all of the issues that would come with him reporting to a team he doesn’t want to play for.
What the Sixers will do remains to be seen, but one thing is very clear — this situation is only going to get worse the longer it drags out and is going to be a massive distraction if it continues into the new season.
Which could make a deal with Minnesota a little more appealing than it was a few weeks ago.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
