Ben Simmons blockbuster a lesson in patience for Timberwolves, 76ers

During a couple of moments in the last several months, it seemed as if a trade between the Timberwolves and 76ers involving Ben Simmons was a real possibility.

Over the summer, when trade enthusiast Gersson Rosas was still running the Wolves and Simmons was freshly made available by Philadelphia, it seemed real.

And again during the season as Simmons sat out and the Wolves struggled to gain traction with losing streaks of five and six games, it felt real.

Maybe the reality never matched the perception. We might never know. Perhaps the Wolves never quite had enough to offer or a deal involving a third team was too tricky.

Whatever the case, we can close to book on months of speculation. It had been slammed almost shut already, with the Wolves finding their footing with a 13-7 record since Jan. 1. But the James Harden for Ben Simmons (and plenty else) blockbuster Thursday made it official.

As I talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, perhaps the lesson learned in all of it on both sides is one of patience — something that tends to be in short supply these days (hand raised here).

For the Wolves, it meant giving the current core of its roster — Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards — a chance to build on some chemistry from late last season.

While that trio and supporting cast is far from perfect, a 29-26 overall record and a firm standing among the top-10 in the Western Conference is evidence of progress — and of wisdom in not hastily throwing a Simmons trade against the wall to see if that would be the thing that sticks.

That's not to say Simmons in Minnesota wouldn't have worked, but the evidence we have is that the currently assembled group was worthy of a longer look.

For the 76ers, patience meant not giving up Simmons for 80 cents on the dollar even while pressure seemingly mounted to make a deal.

The eventual trade with Brooklyn came with a steep cost, given that Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks were also part of the swap. But they got their transformational player, James Harden, to pair with Joel Embiid in the pursuit of a championship.

Say what you want about Harden, and I've said plenty, but the 76ers would not have been better off with whatever package the Wolves were offering.

Patience can be boring and unfulfilled rumors can leave fans with a certain emptiness. In this case, though, it must might have worked out for the best for everyone.