Report: Golden State out of Ben Simmons trade talks

We are less than a week away from the NBA Draft, one of the busier times of the NBA season in regards to trades and transactions. Trade talks and rumors continue to fly around, including one of the latest reports in regards to Ben Simmons.

This one comes from Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, who recently put out a piece detailing the Golden State Warriors’ offseason plans and trade talks. Golden State was listed as a potential Ben Simmons suitor by most — mainly due to the abundance of shooting found in their backcourt with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Letourneau gave a detailed description into many areas, including Ben Simmons trade talks:

“Simmons, the only All-Star known to be shopped by his team, is also unlikely to land with the Warriors. The 76ers are asking for a massive haul that includes an All-Star-level player. Per a league source, Golden State wouldn’t be willing to give up what it would take to get Simmons.”

Before I dive into this quote, I also want to link Letourneau’s piece here for you all to check out. It gives a ton of information, including where Bradley Beal currently stands with the Wizards.

It looks like Golden State will be officially out of the running for Ben Simmons, as they simply don’t want to match the Sixers’ price — which is reportedly an “All-Star caliber player” and other assets. The Warriors have two lottery picks in this upcoming draft at pick 7 (via the D’Angelo Russell trade) and pick 14. The draft compensation is there for a potential deal, but it’s unlikely that the Sixers are interested there from a talent perspective; they want an All-Star player now. Golden State probably isn’t willing to deal either Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson — who are the two players the Sixers would likely be eyeballing in this specific trade scenario.

By the tone of this piece, it seems like the Warriors want to maximize what’s left of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s respective primes. While Simmons would definitely fit with each of those players, it would be a very clunky fit alongside Draymond Green — a player who has had great chemistry and fit with their roster for the past few seasons. Both are ball-dominant players that have very similar skillsets and weaknesses.

While Golden State might be out of the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, there are still plenty of teams with reported interests: the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Minnesota Timberwolves. There’s also a huge possibility that more teams are calling and having discussions. PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck documented some more information on specifics behind Ben Simmons trade talks, which our Tom West detailed in a recent Liberty Ballers post.

The rumors and trade rumblings will only get louder as we inch closer to Thursday’s NBA Draft. We’ll keep you posted here on Liberty Ballers with all trade talk and rumors going forward.