Warriors Rumors: GSW Divided on Ben Simmons' Fit with Draymond Green amid Trade Buzz

The Golden State Warriors are divided internally regarding whether Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Ben Simmons, who is reportedly on the trading block, would be a fit with Dubs forward Draymond Green.

That report is per ESPN's Zach Lowe and Stephen A. Smith, who spoke about the topic on the former reporter's podcast, The Lowe Post. Brian Witt of NBC Sports Bay Area relayed the quotes.

"I think the Warriors internally are divided on the potential fit of Simmons with Draymond Green," Lowe said. "Do you agree?"

"I've been told they are," Smith said in response. "They are divided."

There hasn't been a shortage of reports connecting Simmons to teams outside Philadelphia.

Regarding the Warriors, Jason Dumas of the KRON4 said on 95.7 The Game that Simmons would be interested in a move to a California-based team (h/t Farbod Esnaashari of Fan Nation).

Per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia wanted Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, the Nos. 7 and 14 picks in the NBA draft and two future first-rounders from Golden State for Ben Simmons. That offer was flatly rejected.

Simmons fared well during the regular season and made his first All-Star team, but the bottom fell out in the second round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, when he posted just 9.9 points on 6.4 field-goal attempts per game. He notably took just 14 shots in his final three playoff games.

That performance fueled Simmons trade talks after the 76ers failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth straight year despite having Simmons and NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid on the roster.

Perhaps a change of scenery is what Simmons needs to fully reach the potential seen in him when the 76ers selected the former LSU star first overall in the 2016 NBA draft. That place could be Golden State, although a concern there is whether a pair of poor (or non-existent) outside shooters in Simmons and Green could co-exist in the same lineup.

Lowe isn't too concerned.

"And I get why, right," Lowe said regarding why the Warriors might have an issue with teaming Simmons and Green up.

"Draymond doesn't really shoot anymore. Ben doesn't shoot—I mean, Ben doesn't even dunk in Game 7 when he's got an open dunk—but I wonder if we're all over-fretting a little bit, because if you put those two with Steph [Curry], Klay [Thompson] and just, like, pick a shooter, so you're playing Draymond at the five and Simmons at the (four), the level of playmaking and shooting is...I don't think the Warriors will do it, I don't quite know how I feel about it, but I'm a little more positive about it than most people I've talked to I think."

For now, the Warriors are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, when they reached the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year. If they don't add Simmons, they'll still welcome back five-time All-Star Klay Thompson from injury alongside a pair of lottery picks in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.