The Philadelphia 76ers have been passively shopping Ben Simmons since the season ended, but trade talks have heated up in the past few days with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The only snag in a potential Simmons deal would involve a third team. Any trade could also involve Patrick Beverly. The Los Angeles Clippers traded Beverly to the Memphis Grizzlies, who traded him to the Timberwolves.
Apparently, the Portland Trail Blazers aren’t interested in breaking up their backcourt, which includes Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Last month, there were rumors swirling that the Blazers would trade McCollum to the 76ers for Simmons, which would also open up the doors to trade Lillard to the New York Knicks. However, the Knicks signed Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to bolster their backcourt, so Dame to the Knicks was nothing more than a pipe dream.
The 76ers recently locked up All-Star Joel Embiid through the end of the 2027 season after signing him to a contract extension worth $196 million. The next step for the 76ers is to jettison Simmons. But who, if anyone, is willing to take a flier on the Aussie point guard with the janky jump shot and horrible free-throw shooting?
General manager Daryl Morey had numerous discussions with teams interested in Simmons, including the Golden State Warriors, but no one considered a trade because Morey asked for too much in return, including multiple draft picks.
Patrick Beverly traded again
It’s been a busy week for Beverly, who was traded twice. The 33-year-old point guard is a pesky defender who was hampered with injuries last season. Beverly played so poorly in the first round of the playoffs that LA Clippers head coach Ty Lue benched him in favor of Reggie Jackson.
The Clippers traded Beverly to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Beverly didn’t even get a chance to suit up for the Grizzlies before they shipped him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Jarrett Culver and Juancho Hernangomez. A disgruntled Hernangomez wanted out of Minnesota after the Timberwolves prevented him from playing for Spain in the Olympics. Culver was also unhappy due to his lack of playing time.
If the rumors are true, Beverly won’t play for the Timberwolves either, but they have to wait 60 days before trading him. He has a chance to be traded a third time if the Timberwolves and 76ers can find a third team to complete a multi-team trade for Simmons.
If the Timberwolves can’t find a third team, they could trade Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels, and draft picks to the 76ers in exchange for Simmons. The 76ers want to trade Simmons before the season begins, but they might have to wait a couple of weeks into the season if they want to include Beverly in the mix with Beasley and McDaniels.
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