The Minnesota Timberwolves have had interest in Ben Simmons for quite some time now, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that trade conversations have heated up around the league. Is there a chance Minnesota could land the All-Star in a trade?

The Timberwolves need a power forward or just another piece in general to take the next step. They’re currently ninth in the Western Conference with an 12-15 record. Jarred Vanderbilt has been awesome in the starting lineup, but he has his limitations on offense.

Minnesota looks like they could make the playoffs/play in for the second time since 2003-04. Is it worth it to rush the process again? We saw what happened the last time they went out and made a win-now move with Jimmy Butler. I don’t think adding Simmons would ruin any long-term plans because he’s 25 years old.

KSTP’s Darren Wolfson noted that the Timberwolves have had talks with the 76ers regarding Simmons.

The hurdles that remain are finding the right assets to give up in a trade. It’s going to take a lot to acquire Simmons, and Minnesota doesn’t exactly have what Philadelphia wants (Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are off the table). They could toss some combination of Jaden McDaniels, Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell or Patrick Beverley.

That probably doesn’t entice the 76ers, who are looking for a top-25 player and pieces that can help them win now. Daryl Morey could easily do better elsewhere, which makes the Timberwolves a longshot.

The top teams to keep an eye on are the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.

Minnesota will need to find a third team to facilitate this trade if they want to land Simmons. If they were to acquire him in a deal, it would leapfrog them as a top-six team in the Western Conference.