NBA Trade Rumors: D'Angelo Russell-Ben Simmons trade package will be hard for Warriors to ignore

What's the rumor?

The Golden State Warriors waived Marquese Chriss on Tuesday and re-signed Damion Lee. This step was a clear indicator that the Warriors are not going to give away their assets so effortlessly, especially those they have invested in the most.

However according to The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II, the Warriors are not looking to trade All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell for now, though a package in return for Ben Simmons will be hard to pass by for them in future.

In case you didn't know...

The Philadelphia 76ers have lost four of their last five games and dropped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 24-14 record. Widely expected to be among the most dominant teams across the league this season with the kind of starpower they have, we are yet to see the team click that well together and they are definitely not genuine title contenders right now.

According to the report by Thompson, the Simmons - Joel Embiid combination is flawed and needs to be separated. In addition, Simmons' glaring weakness from three-point range just adds to the misery. If 76ers don't get themselves to click soon, the management will then be forced into making some difficult decisions going forward.

The heart of the matter

Although the Warriors will prefer not to move Russell considering the finances surrounding his deal, this move is equally hard to ignore. Simmons is the best fit for the Warriors with his inside game, ball movement and basketball IQ - being able to reduce the pressure off the likes of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry next season.

On the other hand, the 76ers would be getting a sharpshooter who can launch from almost anywhere on the floor while importantly spacing the floor for both Embiid and Tobias Harris, who signed a five-year max extension last summer.

What's next?

The 76ers take on the Boston Celtics (25-9) in their next encounter on Thursday night, while the Warriors face tough games against the Milwaukee Bucks (32-6) and Clippers (26-12) between now and Friday night.