The future of 76ers star Ben Simmons remains unclear amid his falling out with the team.
But, according to a report, the three-time All-Star apparently still has one preferred destination if the Sixers are able to broker his exit from Philadelphia via trade.
Simmons, as was reported in the summer, sees the Golden State Warriors as the ideal team for "the next chapter in his career," according to NBA insider Evan Massey, citing "a league source."
The former No. 1 overall draft pick apparently thinks he'd be a perfect fit a Draymond Green-style role with the Dubs, the report said.
Whether the Warriors would agree is another matter entirely.
Golden State already has a Green type in Green himself, and while Simmons is a terrific player, there's not necessarily any reason to believe they're interested in adding another.
Green, 31, is in the second year of a four-year contract extension that has two years remaining after this season. He's also won three titles with the Warriors, so it seems unlikely they'd break up their championship core in a midseason blockbuster.
That would presumably leave Andrew Wiggins and perhaps a young player or two as the likeliest candidates going back to Philly in a potential Simmons swap.
While such a deal might make sense for the Warriors and Simmons, the Sixers to this point have signaled an unwillingness to accept anything other than what team president Daryl Morey called a "difference-making player" in return for Simmons in any potential trade.
Massey's report is only the latest in a series connecting Simmons and the Warriors amid his dispute with the Sixers in recent months.
In July, it was reported that the Sixers asked the Warriors for Wiggins, second-year center James Wiseman, and four first-round draft picks in exchange for Simmons.
The following month, it was reported that Simmons was "open" to a deal to Golden State.
The 25-year-old remains inactive after holding out from training camp and all of the Sixers' preseason games amid a standing trade request dating back to the conclusion of last season, when the Sixers were ousted from the playoffs by the upstart Atlanta Hawks. He was said to have worked out at the Sixers' facilities this week.
Simmons, whose shooting woes are well-documented, passed up a wide-open dunk in the waning seconds before the Sixers were eliminated, in an apparent bout of "the yips" or performance anxiety.
Sixers players could barely hide their shock and disappointment at Simmons' unraveling. Reports later indicated Simmons requested the trade because he felt the team had scapegoated him for the loss.
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