Some took the Golden State Warriorsâ€™ move to trade Monta Ellis in an effort to get Andrew Bogut as a vote of confidence in point guard Stephen Curry.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob turned that theory on its ear in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, when he admitted the team was also willing to trade Curry for Bogut.

Lacob said it was a tough decision to move Ellis, a player he has grown fond of. He also mentioned Curry and said the team would have moved either player to get the deal done.

â€œIâ€™m getting chills talking about (Ellis) right now,â€ Lacob said. â€œHeâ€™s one of my favorite players in the NBA. Anyone who thinks otherwise is crazy. I feel very strongly about him. It was incredibly difficult to trade him, but heâ€™s the piece it had to be to get Andrew Bogut. We would have traded either (Curry or Ellis) to take the next step for this franchise.â€

Ellis spent six seasons with the Warriors after being drafted out of high school in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He was the Warriorsâ€™ most productive player for much of that time, including scoring averages of 25.5 points and 24.1 in the 2009-10 and â€™10-11 seasons.

In Curry, the team found a point guard to complement Ellis and the Warriorsâ€™ up-and-down style of play. But injuries have called his position with the team into question. Curry has aggravated his surgically repaired right ankle on multiple occasions, and there has been talk the Warriors might rest him for the remainder of the season.