NBA Rumors: Timberwolves One of The Most Interested Teams in Simmons

Training camp is about a month away, and there is still no end in sight for the Ben Simmons saga in Philadelphia. Reports recently emerged saying that trade talks have "stalled" after countless weeks of trying to find a suitable return for the former number one pick. 

While the dust might have settled on the trade front for the time being, teams continue to show interest in the 25-year-old All-Star. One organization has been persistent all offseason in the pursuit of acquiring Simmons. 

Shams Charania of The Athletic said in a recent interview that the Minnesota Timberwolves "are one of the most interested teams in Ben Simmons." He also mentioned he expects this saga to climax closer to the start of training camp. 

From the beginning, Minnesota has been one of the favorites to acquire Simmons. Not only are the Timberwolves a near-perfect fit for his style of play, but there are multiple connections between the two franchises. Simmons has ties with D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, and Daryl Morey has ties with Wolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. 

There has been one major roadblock that has halted these two teams from getting a deal done. Morey refuses to budge on the asking price for Simmons. 

With the Sixers looking to capitalize on Joel Embiid's prime, they want an All-Star caliber player in return for Simmons. The Timberwolves are looking to get back in the playoff hunt. They want to pair him with their current stars. Their lack of assets that can help the Sixers now makes it tough to facilitate a trade of value for Morey. 

For a deal like this to gain serious traction, a third team will need to get involved. Most likely a team that is looking to dump an All-Star level player to head towards a rebuild. As of now, no team currently appears to be in that situation. 

Even as we approach the final weeks of the offseason, there is still no indication of when a trade will happen. Talks will surely ramp up prior to training camp, and Minnesota remains a team to keep an eye on. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.