Still only 29 years old, Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes remains one of the most underrated wings in the game.
This season alone, Barnes is averaging 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 45% from the field. He’s also hitting on 38% of his shots from distance while playing elite-level defense.
There’s now some rumors that Sacramento will look to move off Barnes ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February. Given his consistently good play and relatively low salary ($20.28 million in 2021-22), there’s going to be a ton of interest in his services. Below, we look at four ideal trade scenarios.
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Harrison Barnes trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cavaliers get: Harrison Barnes, two second-round pick
- Kings get: Isaac Okoro, Collin Sexton, Denzel Valentine, Lamar Stevens
At a shocking 19-12 on the season, these Cavaliers currently boast the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Youngsters such as Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley continue to do their thing. Recent acquisition Lauri Markkanen seems to be a tremendous fit. Why not add another two-way wing to the mix and make a run at the conference? Barnes could play the two-guard spot, rounding out a stellar starting five.
In lieu of adding draft pick capital to the mix, Sacramento opts for a still-young 20-year-old wing in Okoro. The former No. 5 pick has played pretty well this season — averaging 9.3 points and 4.0 rebounds on 44% shooting. He’s more of a fit with Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell than Barnes moving forward. The Kings also take a chance on Collin Sexton after he was ruled out for the remainder of the season to injury. The high-scoring guard is a pending restricted free agent and could be an important cog moving forward.
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Harrison Barnes trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves
- Timberwolves get: Harrison Barnes, Alex Len
- Kings get: Jaden McDaniels, Jake Layman, Taurean Prince, future first-round pick
At 15-15 on the season, Minnesota has been somewhat up-and-down. A lot of that has to do with injuries. However, the long-downtrodden team is right in the thick of the playoff race out west and has won four consecutive. One of the missing components here has been a two-way wing to replace Andrew Wiggins. It goes without say that Barnes would provide that. Len also gives the Wolves more depth in the frontcourt.
Would the Kings take McDaniels as the centerpiece in a Barnes trade? It all depends on his value on the trade block. What we do know is that the 21-year-old power forward has looked darn good. He’s averaging 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds this season. It’s certainly a need, too. Adding a future unprotected first-round pick also helps from a team-building standpoint.
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Harrison Barnes trade to the New York Knicks
- Knicks get: Harrison Barnes
- Kings get: Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox, Kemba Walker, first-round pick
New York now boasts the fourth-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 13-17 after starting the season 5-1. The team is ravaged by both inconsistent play and COVID-19. Something needs to be done if the Knicks want to even have a chance of competing for a playoff spot. Adding Barnes to team up with Julius Randle in the froncourt would give NY a nice pair of veterans.
The cost? A former lottery pick in Toppin who has not necessarily lived up to expectations and could use a change of scenery. New York also rids itself of the Kemba Walker contract while sending a 2022 first-round pick to California’s capital city (from the Dallas Mavericks). It almost makes too much sense for both sides.
Related: Ideal Ben Simmons trade scenarios
Harrison Barnes trade to the Philadelphia 76ers
- 76ers get: Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, two first-round picks
- Kings get: Ben Simmons, Shake Milton
We’ve heard the rumors linking Ben Simmons to Sacramento. There seems to be a nice amount of interest from the Kings in making this work. Previously, the team floated the idea of Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley. We’re just not seeing this from Philadelphia’s perspective. Rather the team could use a stud two-way wing in the frontcourt to team up with Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid. It would round out the starting five with Tyrese Maxey, Hield, Barnes, Harris and Embiid. That’s not too shabby.
For the Kings, this would represent going against the grain. They already have three potential building blocks in Haliburton, Mitchell and Fox. The idea here would be for Simmons to play more of a natural power forward position. It would also likely lead to the trade of Fox this coming summer. That is to say, retool rather than rebuild. Hence, giving up two future first-round picks to make this work.