National Basketball Association

Would Ben Simmons be a good fit for the Golden State Warriors?

Updated Sep. 23, 2021 5:10 p.m. ET

It's hard to remember a situation in recent years that's quite equaled the level of mysteriousness surrounding Ben Simmons.

There are few answers to what his status is – few Tweets, zero soundbites, nothing. The 25-year old point guard has kept relatively quiet throughout the summer, completely reducing himself out of the limelight as he's opted to communicate with the Philadelphia 76ers through his agent, Rich Paul.

And the 76ers know exactly why.

Calamity has been brewing for a while in the Simmons-Sixers relationship. The 6-foot-11 Australian showed disdain towards Daryl Morey & staff after rumors surfaced that Philadelphia was including him in a potential trade package for James Harden.

Things got much worse from there.

After their Game 7 loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Simmons was the recipient of tremendous criticism following a sporadic showing from the free-throw line and an infamous dunk that he passed up in crunch time.

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Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid chastised him postgame, and soon thereafter, Simmons requested a trade, expressing he wanted to cut familial ties with the City of Brotherly Love.

Since then, the trade rumor mill has been buzzing with commotion – and one franchise that's been repeatedly mentioned in the rumblings is Golden State.

Simmons specified his desire to play for a California team in his trade request, and while the Warriors check that box, they also provide him the opportunity to immediately compete for a championship.

That's only if they want him, of course.

And according to owner Joe Lacob, that's not the case at all.

"In some ways, it doesn't really fit what we're doing," Lacob told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He makes a lot of money. And, can he finish games? I don't know. He's very talented. The problem is: We have Draymond. Draymond and him are very similar in the sense that neither one really shoots and they do a lot of the playmaking. That's one issue.

"The salary structure is another."

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Lacob's evaluation closed the door on any Simmons dealings for the time being. But Chris Broussard doesn't think that considering him is such a bad thing for the Warriors.

"Ben Simmons is a more athletic, a younger, a bigger version of Draymond Green," Broussard said. "And what Draymond did for the Warriors is tremendous and that's still probably why he's there. But I would look to package him. I'd throw out a Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and some picks to get Ben Simmons. I think he'd be tremendous in Golden State!"

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Nick Wright is aboard the Simmons to San Fran train as well, but believes that Simmons and Green can share floor time with each other.

"I disagree on the merits that Draymond and Ben couldn't play together. Think about the Warriors in '15-16. Shaun Livingston was a huge part of that team. He shoots 3s as rarely as Ben Simmons. Shaun Livingston shot five total 3s in five total postseasons with the Warriors. He shot 24 total in his five years with them in the regular season.

"If you ran a lineup of Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond and Ben, I think you have a great defensive team. Not good – great."

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Klay Thompson was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team in 2018-19, while Green is a four-time first-team member, as well as the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year.

Simmons has made the first team twice.

Adding Simmons would shift the Warriors' defensive needle upwards while his shooting is a detractor.

But if any team's shooting efficiency is going to make up for Simmons' lack of marksmanship, who better than the Warriors?

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