Latest On Ben Simmons: 76ers, Timberwolves, Cavs

The Ben Simmons rumors are marching on as Simmons continues to sit out and the 76ers continue to look for a trade.

As we wrote last week, the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Pistons, Spurs, Raptors and Pacers are still exploring a Simmons trade.

But potential trade partners are seemingly holding their ground while the 76ers are seemingly seeking the stars, the sun and the moon in return.

With all that in mind, sources have repeatedly told Hoops Wire that a trade of Simmons is likely to involve multiple teams — as opposed to a straight-up deal.

All of that is something Darren Wolfson of KSTP-TV reported applies to the Timberwolves, saying on a podcast that new head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta “is not trading Anthony Edwards, is not trading Karl-Anthony Towns. The key is to find a third team.”

But without at least one of those two, the 76ers are not likely to give up their All-Star guard/forward.

Whether it be the Timberwolves or someone else, eventually, someone is going to bend in the Simmons talks. Clearly, no one is there yet.

More on Simmons

• Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated also offered an interesting take on the Simmons front. “: “When I talked to different team executives, I pretty consistently hear that they are hoping the Sixers hold their ground here,” Mannix said on the Crossover podcast. “Maybe Ben Simmons will never come back to Philadelphia, that seems to be the most likely way this plays out. But there were executives that I talked to that were happy that the Sixers put that $8 million-plus lump payment into escrow and effectively are using it to dock Ben Simmons’ pay while he’s out.”
• Also, Kyle Neubeck of the PhillyVoice added this bit of inside information: “A source familiar with the conversations between Simmons’ camp and the Sixers told PhillyVoice that the only consistent or clear message this offseason was about the accelerated timeline Simmons has been evaluated on compared to other No. 1 overall picks. In most instances, agent Rich Paul and others have pointed out, top picks are sent to bad teams where they can figure out who they are and how their career is going to play out.”
• Finally, after the way the Cavaliers looked in their preseason opener, they may not be nearly as ready to compete for a playoff spot as they hoped. (Related Dribbles.) They are a young team that lacks a star. Simmons would change all that and make them relevant. Here are my full thoughts on a potential Simmons-Cavs deal.