Report: Timberwolves drama will not impact Ben Simmons pursuit

The Minnesota Timberwolves are dealing with significant upheaval in their front office at an awkward time, but it does not appear that any of it will change the team’s long-term plans.

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said on his podcast, “The Jon Krawczynski Show,” that he anticipates the Timberwolves will remain interested in Ben Simmons despite the firing of Gersson Rosas as team president.

“I do fully expect that they will not let this get in the way of any kind of pursuit of Ben Simmons,” Krawczynski said. “I think that they view Simmons as the kind of piece that could really vault them into playoff contention and in the end, for them, the only thing that has changed is who might try to do the trade and not anything else.”

Krawczynski added that Sachin Gupta, the team’s interim president, has a better relationship with 76ers GM Daryl Morey than Rosas did.

The Timberwolves have been one of the few teams consistently interested in Simmons, who wants out of Philadelphia. It would have been justifiable to think a major change at the top might change the organization’s plans, but Simmons is evidently still on the radar.