The Golden State Warriors have long been tied to a Ben Simmons trade ever since his the Philadelphia 76ers began shopping him around the league.

On paper, it makes sense. Golden State, with two of the greatest shooters of all-time in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, could make up for his lack of an outside shot while adding a defensive Swiss army knife with the vision and passing ability that he possesses. But as has been the Warriors' stance throughout the offseason, Joe Lacob dropped a reality check on the possibility in a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

Via Rusty Simmons:

The Warriors owner said in reference to a “Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Philadelphia” while being careful to not get fined for tampering: “I think we are always looking at everything to see if we can improve our team. We would always look.”

The Warriors have undoubtedly done their due diligence on potentially bringing in Ben Simmons. But it goes beyond simply agreeing to take him back in exchange for some assets. The money would have to work, meaning Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green needs to be involved. Their requested asking price in terms of draft capital is also rumored to be exorbitantly high.

Lacob also emphasizes that what Ben Simmons brings to the table, the Warriors already have on their roster.

“In some ways, it doesn’t really fit what we’re doing. He makes a lot of money. And, can he finish games? I don’t know,” Lacob said. “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.”

Golden State has denied virtually every Ben Simmons trade rumor that's come their way. Either they're playing things extremely close to the vest, or the All-Star point forward just isn't high up enough on their wishlist.