NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Ben Simmons, Cade Cunningham and Myles Turner

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Matt Slocum/Associated Press

December 15 is an important date on the NBA calendar.

That’s when most players who signed free-agent contracts this offseason first become trade-eligible. And since clubs will have nearly two months of wins, losses and statistical trends to analyze by that point, they should have a good enough feel for their roster to know whether to buy, sell or sit out the swap fest.

Given the date’s proximity, it’s no surprise to see the market becoming more active with trade buzz. We’ll break down the most recent rumblings here.

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Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Obviously, a swift resolution to the Ben Simmons saga isn’t in the works, but a deal could be delayed longer than anyone expected.

That isn’t set in stone, as the Philadelphia 76ers are “mostly waiting for things to open up” on Dec. 15, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice. However, if the offers made then aren’t any more appealing than the ones already rejected by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and his staff, Philadelphia is prepared to bunker down and wait the entire season if that’s what it takes to find what it wants, as Neubeck detailed:

“Asking around, some believe the Sixers will be happy to carry this through the full 2021-22 season and resume discussions again next offseason when a new set of opportunities will become available to them. That could take shape in the form of sign-and-trade possibilities, disgruntled stars finally asking out of their own problematic situations, or new management hires for other franchises wanting to take big swings on talent like Simmons. And publicly, the Sixers have certainly suggested an extension of this standoff is possible, with Morey going so far as to say he’d take this all four years of Simmons’ deal if that’s what it took to get the best deal.”

A season’s worth of Simmons trade chatter sounds exhausting, but exhaustion is preferable to botching the trade of a 25-year-old star. If the 76ers don’t view this season on the championship-or-bust scale, that would make it easier for them to wait until their desired return—or something close to it—comes across the negotiating table.

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Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

If the Detroit Pistons want to deal for Ben Simmons, it will cost them.

A recent report suggested the Sixers had interest in Pistons forward Jerami Grant, but Neubeck reported the forward was “of little interest to the Sixers” and not on the “list of players they’d be interested in acquiring for Simmons.”

Instead, the only way the Pistons could potentially interest the 76ers is by dangling this year’s No. 1 pick, Cade Cunningham, per Neubeck. And even that may not get a deal done, as Cunningham has encountered the growing pains typical of nearly all rookies and might not be able to iron them out in time to help 27-year-old Joel Embiid contend for a title.

This all seems like a long-winded way of saying the Pistons are effectively out of the running for Simmons. He would theoretically be interesting to bulk up Detroit’s rebuilding effort, but only if he could grow alongside Cunningham. Swapping out the rookie just doesn’t make sense with the state of this roster.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the market for a splash. They have talent, but probably not enough of it to move up a weight class. So far, their wins and losses have been decided almost entirely by the schedule-makers, as they’ve gone just 3-7 against opponents who are .500 or better and 5-2 against those below .500.

The Wolves need something to snap out of this and find their long elusive key to consistency. They apparently have a few options in mind.

Minnesota reportedly has “Myles Turner fans” in the front office, per KSTP’s Darren Wolfson (h/t HoopsHabit), and strong interest in Ben Simmons.

The Turner interest is…well, interesting, as his arrival would presumably push the Timberwolves into twin-towers territory by sharing a frontcourt with Karl-Anthony Towns. Turner is an elite defender and a reliable shooter, so it could work on paper, but this wouldn’t be the most versatile frontcourt around.

As for Simmons, the fit could be mutually beneficial. The Wolves could use his defense and distributing, and Simmons would benefit from their willingness to run and gun from distance. The question is compensation, as the 76ers are seemingly aiming higher than D’Angelo Russell or anyone else on the roster not named Towns, who wouldn’t fit with Embiid, or Anthony Edwards, who is almost certainly untouchable.