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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off yet another season in which they fell short of a trip to the NBA Finals.
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They landed as the No. 6 seed in the loaded Western Conference and beat two veteran teams in the playoffs to land yet again in the final four of the NBA. Minnesota, however, fell short to the better team and eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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The Timberwolves clearly have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, but they still have areas where they can improve. Minnesota hasn't been as active this offseason, outside of retaining a few of their star players like Julius Randle and Naz Reid.
The Timberwolves have yet to make any significant additions this offseason, and Eric Pinus of Bleacher Report urged them to add former All-Star guard and No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons.
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Pinus listed the Timberwolves as one of the four teams that should make a run at the three-time All-Star.
"The Timberwolves have a defense-first mentality, with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels providing tremendous rim protection," Pinus writes. "After back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, Minnesota has one clear need to fill. Mike Conley, one of the great pros of the last two decades, is nearing 38.
"Simmons may not answer that question long-term, but he could provide backup support at point guard, while adding the defensive profile the team is known for. Minnesota, close to the second apron ($207.8 million), may not offer more than the minimum, but the franchise needs to lock in a 14th player before the start of the regular season."
Simmons is nowhere near the same player he was with the Philadelphia 76ers. Injuries and not being in the game, mentally speaking, have hindered his ability to be the player many thought he could be coming out of LSU in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Nonetheless, Simmons could be the player that Minnesota needs. At the end of the day, Simmons is a big body who is a stellar defender and could defend positions one through four.
The 29-year-old is far from a long-term solution for Minnesota, but he could be the type of player who could help out the Timberwolves right now. It's clear Minnesota is close to a title or at least a Finals appearance, and a player like Simmons could be one who could help them do just that.
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