Minnesota Timberwolves: Ben Simmons trade will have to wait

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on a quest to get better as a team this offseason. They have done so through a few different minor trades, acquiring Patrick Beverley and Taurean Prince.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Patrick Beverley trade could mean the Timberwolves have to wait to acquire Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons is a name that has been thrown out by fans and media as a possible trade target that would make plenty of sense – and it would give the Timberwolves a third star (should they be able to acquire him without giving up Edwards).

Ben Simmons is an ideal fit for the way the Timberwolves roster is currently constructed. He can push the ball in transition, guard positions one through five, and bring elite inside scoring – a purely unique skill set that Minnesota does not have.

Going about acquiring Simmons would be a difficult endeavor, though. After trading for Patrick Beverley, the Timberwolves don’t have as much salary that they can send out as of right now. Minnesota will have to wait until late in September to trade either Beverley or Prince in combination with other assets, according to CBA rules. The season will not begin until mid-October, so there will be some flexibility there.

*Note: The late-September date here is assuming the COVID-19 pandemic trade rules still apply, meaning the window which players cannot be aggregated in trades is shorter.

Both of Beverley and Prince are good fits for the Timberwolves existing roster – but it is not particularly unlikely that general manager Gersson Rosas decides to move either player in a larger trade – particularly for the aforementioned Ben Simmons.

Both players fit a 3-and-D role, and the Timberwolves really only had one core rotation player that contributed on both ends of the floor last season in Jaden McDaniels.

Adding a player of Ben Simmons’s caliber almost certainly would be worth it for a Timberwolves team that has not been a consistent playoff team in recent memory – but it is important to note that the Beverley/Prince deals being finalized later in the offseason could mean it may be a while until a possible Simmons/Minnesota deal happens.

Even so, the Timberwolves have the assets and contracts to make a Ben Simmons trade even without Beverley or Prince – it just makes things a bit more complex in attempting to construct a fair deal for both teams – which is why Minnesota would be incentivized to include one of the expiring contracts from Prince/Beverley.