Trade targets to avoid that could derail progress No. 3: Harrison Barnes
There’s no question that if the Sacramento Kings were able to find a way to move the former Golden State Warrior and 2015 NBA Champion Harrison Barnes this year that they would. Granted it would take the Kings likely having to part ways with other key players or future draft capital were they to get another team to take on the large contract of their 6-foot-8 and 225 pound forward Barnes.
The current contract of the former North Carolina Tar Heel and 28-year-old Iowa native Barnes takes him through the end of the 2022-23 season. He had signed a four-year contract worth $85 million back during the 2019 offseason.
Barnes is by no means playing poorly for the Kings so far this season. He’s averaged roughly 16.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. And Barnes shot a solid 49.8 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Landing a player that produces at the level of Barnes wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Bulls. But in terms of the size of the contract, the Bulls would be wiser to go after someone that won’t cap strap them near as much.
If there were more years remaining on the contract of a Bulls player like veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr., then it could make more sense for the front office to explore a trade with the Kings for Barnes. But taking on two more years of a contract that is worth around $20 million annually for a wing/forward like Barnes would not be a wise move for Karnisovas.
All in all, the Kings might not be on the brink after all of wanting to trade Barnes. A report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst this weekend shows the Kings’ reluctance to trade Barnes, which is good since the Bulls should avoid that sort of move entirely.