Minnesota Timberwolves: Stan Van Gundy, Beverley on Ben Simmons

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ pursuit of Ben Simmons continues, and new Wolf Patrick Beverley has chimed in.

Additionally, former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy had some Twitter thoughts on the Wolves’ pursuit of the two-time All-Star.

Patrick Beverley is in on the Minnesota Timberwolves acquiring Ben Simmons

There’s no question that adding an All-Defensive Team member and two-time All-Star who perfectly fits the timeline of Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell would improve the Wolves immensely, both this year and in the future.

But in case we needed some more validation, new Wolves guard Patrick Beverley feels the exact same way.

It’s true, and we’ve covered it from a variety of angles here at Dunking With Wolves.

In fact, the Simmons rumor itself goes all the way back to last fall, when the Wolves were seeking trades for the No. 1 overall pick. Former NFL star Terrell Owens even chimed in regarding the potential fit of Simmons with Towns and Russell.

Of course, this was before Anthony Edwards was on the roster and Malik Beasley was officially re-signed. Now, the Wolves not only have more ammo to get a deal done, but they have a legitimate core that would immediately vault into serious contention if Simmons was added.

If the Wolves were somehow able to land Simmons and keep their three best players — more on if this is even possible in a moment — then the team would immediately be one of the best four teams in the Western Conference.

The inside-outside offensive game of Towns, combined with a deadly shooter and passer in Russell and an elite passer and defender in Simmons would be phenomenal. Add in one of the most athletically gifted and highest-upside players in the league in Edwards, and the Timberwolves would immediately be a force to be reckoned with.

But that’s where Stan Van Gundy comes in.

Stan Van Gundy is dubious about the Minnesota Timberwolves acquiring Ben Simmons

The biggest challenge when it comes to acquiring Simmons is cobbling together enough assets to land the young superstar, whether in a two-team deal or by roping in another team or two.

The original tweet above from Ben Stinar is what caused the stir, mostly because the overarching assumption is that Russell would have to be included in any Simmons deal.

Former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy, who was let go by the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason, agrees with that assumption.

I’ve always disagreed with that assertion, mostly because it’s unlikely that Philadelphia 76ers boss Daryl Morey is keen on replacing Simmons with an expensive defensive sieve in Russell. Remember, D’Lo is on a max contract and is owed more than $61 million over the next two years and isn’t nearly on the level of Simmons — or the potentially available Damian Lillard, for that matter.

But it’s possible that Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels, and one of Beverley or Taurean Prince, once their contracts become tradeable in a few weeks, plus a boatload of future draft picks and pick swaps, could get the job done.

Perhaps the most likely way that the Wolves could acquire Simmons would be a three-team deal. Think Lillard to Philly, Simmons to Minnesota, and Beasley + Tyrese Maxey to Portland.

At this point, it certainly seems more likely than not that Simmons gets traded. But we don’t know when, and we don’t know exactly how many more suitors are out there beyond the oft-mentioned trio of the Wolves, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings.

Stay tuned. Almost anything could happen.