Bill Simmons doesn't think Timberwolves should trade for Kevin Durant

With a little over a week remaining until the NBA draft, Kevin Durant remains on the Phoenix Suns. Rumors continue to swirl about KD's future on a daily basis, and it sounds like a trade could wind up happening at any moment.

The Timberwolves have reportedly been in hot pursuit of Durant, but they aren't one of his three preferred destinations (Spurs, Rockets, Heat). That doesn't mean there's no chance Minnesota could acquire him; Phoenix ultimately is expected to accept the best offer it gets. But as of this moment, it sounds like the Wolves wouldn't have any assurance that Durant would sign an extension with them, meaning he could potentially just be a one-year rental.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons doesn't think Minnesota should trade for Durant, he said on the latest episode of his podcast.

"Houston is the only team that I feel like he could elevate," Simmons said. "I even have real questions about him with (Anthony) Edwards. That feels dueling banjos to me. Just feels like another (Devin) Booker situation where there's a lot of Durant standing in the corner, like 'I guess I'm not in this one' and he has that weird body language thing he gets going sometimes."

Simmons said he thinks Durant to the Rockets makes the most sense because they need a guy who can go get buckets in late-game situations. Co-host Ryen Russillo said that while Edwards is that guy in Minnesota, he needed help in the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder.

"I don't think he needed help, I think he needed a f***ing point guard," Simmons replied. "That's what they need. If I'm gonna make trades, I'm not trading for Kevin Durant, I wanna get somebody who can actually handle the ball and take pressure off Edwards and get fast breaks. In that OKC series, (Mike) Conley looked like he was 50 years old. That was why they lost. They couldn't bring the ball up. It wasn't because they didn't have enough scoring, that's not how I watched the series."

The argument can be made that acquiring Durant, one of the greatest scorers ever, would take pressure off of Edwards. But Simmons' point about the fit is an interesting one. Would Ant and KD develop a synergy, or would they largely take turns operating in isolation in the clutch?

The Wolves have a lot of questions to ask themselves as they ponder their trade offers for Durant. The big one is how much they're willing to give up for a 37-year-old who may or may not sign an extension. A trade would need to involve either Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle for salary purposes, as well as other pieces like Donte DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham, and/or draft compensation. And if Gobert is traded, the Durant fit alongside Randle and Jaden McDaniels would seem to be a clunky one. A deal like that would leave the Wolves without a true center.

It would admittedly be easier to see the fit if the Wolves swing for an upgrade at point guard on the trade market. Someone like De'Aaron Fox or Trae Young or Darius Garland (who will miss the start of next season with a toe injury) could slide in seamlessly next to Edwards in the backcourt. Right now, the Wolves' point guards are the 38-year-old Conley and 20-year-old Dillingham, who are on opposite sides of their careers and are significant future question marks at this point.

"I think they need a point guard," Simmons said. "I don't think Durant changes their destiny at all."

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