NBA Trade Rumors: Timberwolves eyeing Myles Turner and Ben Simmons

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the playoff hunt this season. After only one playoff appearance in the past 17 years (and being eliminated in the first round), they want to play postseason basketball again, and some recent NBA trade rumors prove that.

With Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards at the helm, Minnesota has a nice young core that is probably talented enough to lead the way. Their biggest issues are two things – defense and depth.

NBA Trade Rumors: Timberwolves eyeing Myles Turner and Ben Simmons

On a recent podcast, Darren Wolfson of KSTP news reported that there are “Myles Turner fans” in Minnesota’s front office. In addition, the team is still very interested in trading for Ben Simmons.

Wolfson also stated that, despite the interest in both players, there is looming doubt that a deal would get done. This is in large part because the Timberwolves would likely not offer enough for neither Indiana’s nor Philadelphia’s liking.

Daryl Morey of the 76ers has been on record stating that he wants an All-Star-caliber player in return for Simmons. While D’Angelo Russell could potentially be that guy, the Timberwolves would probably be hesitant to trade him.

Meanwhile, Turner is an extremely valuable asset for the Pacers. He’s playing great defense this season and is anchoring the team on that end, helping them recoup from their early-season struggles.

Trading him away would leave Domantas Sabonis as the team’s center, most likely. At the same time, what would Minnesota even have to offer the Pacers that they would like?

The most likely packages would be either a Malik Beasley package (which Minnesota may not be willing to do), or a package of Taurean Prince, young project players, and picks (which Indiana probably would not want).

It’s a tough situation to be in, but the Wolves just don’t have the necessary assets to trade for either of these players. That being said, as the season progresses, maybe the price of Simmons and/or Turner goes down.

These NBA trade rumors should certainly be monitored, but for now, it probably won’t end up going anywhere. Pairing Simmons or Turner with Towns would make for a solid offense/defense combination, though.