"The Warriors trading high-scoring guard Monta Ellis seems all but inevitable, though team sources warned against that assessment.

The organizational debate over whether Ellis can play with similarly diminutive guard Stephen Curry has given way to the question of which of the backcourt players to deal this summer. Now, Ellis' representatives have joined the Warriors in an attempt to find a mutually beneficial destination, league sources said Thursday.

Warriors officials said they are not shopping Ellis and a trade is a "long way off," but a CBS report had sources saying an Ellis-for-Andre Iguodala deal with Philadelphia is a 50-50 venture. The Golden State-Philadelphia trade has been rumored for the better part of two years, and ESPN reported that talks were renewed Monday.

Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, Orlando, Portland and the Lakers also have shown interest in Ellis, league sources told The Chronicle.

Warriors general manager Larry Riley has said only, "We are doing business as usual and will explore possibilities relating to getting the team better." Per team policy, he won't comment on specific trades.

A deal that would net Iguodala from Philadelphia, Josh Smith from Atlanta, Rudy Gay from Memphis or Wesley Matthews or Nicolas Batum from Portland would make sense with the Warriors' new line of thinking. The question is whether they can get any of those players for Ellis, who is owed $11 million each of the next three seasons."