It turns out ya can't really say ANYTHING about a player without breaking the NBA's anti-tampering rules ... 'cause Warriors owner Joe Lacob just got hit with a $50k fine this week -- for basically saying he's not interested in landing Ben Simmons.
The Warriors have been named as one of the potential landing spots for the 25-year-old ... after the struggling Philadelphia 76ers star demanded a trade this offseason.
Lacob was asked about the team's potential interest in Simmons during an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle this week ... and it definitely didn't sound like they were jumping head-first into the Simmons sweepstakes.
"I think we are always looking at everything to see if we can improve our team," Lacob said.
"We would always look. In some ways, [trading for Simmons] doesn't really fit what we're doing. He makes a lot of money."
Lacob also said Simmons is very talented, but questioned whether he can finish games down the stretch and if he would fit well with Draymond Green.
In other words, Lacob's not salivating to bring Simmons to the Bay ... but, nonetheless, he was hit with a $50k slap on the wrist on Wednesday.
Now, execs aren't allowed to make comments about players under contract that could "entice" them to join their franchise ... but to be honest, nothing really sounds enticing here 🤷♂️.