Boston Celtics trade rumors: What would Harrison Barnes add to the team?

On Monday, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer reported that the Celtics had expressed ‘significant’ interest in Magic Magic All-Star Nikola Vucevic as the deadline was imminent.

On Tuesday, Chris Illix of Sports Illustrated added another name that was regularly discussed: Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, who according to Mannix said the Celtics are ‘high up’.

Like Vucevic, Barnes’ name has been floating around in Celtics circles for a while. Here’s a closer look at what he would bring to the table.

The big picture

An Iowa resident, Barnes, was the leading No. 1 in his high school class. He spent one year in North Carolina before embarking on the draft, where the Golden State Warriors selected him with the 7th pick. Barnes never lived up to his bills in high school, but he quickly became a useful player for the Warriors and was part of the team’s first championship in 2015. The following season, Barnes started for the Warriors as they set a record number conquered. of regular season games, and he was prominent in the team that blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. He signed with Dallas in the off-season when Golden State acquired Kevin Durant, and later he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he signed a lucrative expansion.

At 6-foot-9, Barnes can play both the 3 and the 4. The 28-year-old has two seasons left on his contract after this year. He will earn $ 22.2 million this season, $ 20.3 million next season and $ 18.4 million in 2022-23.

What would it take to get Barnes?

The Kings are an unpredictable franchise, but they’ll probably be willing to drop Barnes in favor of choices and young talent. Sacramento has lost eight of its last ten games and 11 of its last fifteen games. Most teams in that scenario are willing to send away veteran prizes that are expensive.

However, Barnes is having a great season, and other teams will be interested as well. The Celtics may come up with a convincing offer with draft picks and some young talent like Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith, but how much choice in the first round would Danny Ainge be willing to make for a role player? And does he have bigger plans for the TPE than Barnes?

What is Barnes good at?

Most important to the Celtics: Barnes is a well-known commodity. You can give him the pencil in almost every scenario for 15-20 effective points per game. This season, Barnes averages 16.7 points on 49.2 percent shooting while hitting 39.2 percent from his 3-point shot. The Celtics have a huge gap on the wing behind Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who would comfortably fill Barnes.

Barnes is not just a shooter – he drives 8.2 times per game according to the NBA’s tracking data and he shoots 57 percent on attempts. His assist percentage (the number of teammates Barnes helped) is also good at 13.4 percent – the 75th percentile in the league among forwards.

Barnes is not known as an elite defender, but he is big and versatile enough to cover a few different positions, and the Kings are 9.5 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, mainly because of their defensive numbers. . With Barnes at stake, Sacramento’s defense is 5.6 points per 100 possessions more successful.

What are the concerns?

Barnes is a good player, but not an All-Star. That could be a good thing: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have had a tremendous load this season and they both deserve the All-Stars. They may prefer a rock-solid role player, but it remains to be seen whether the up-and-down Celtics will have to think a little bigger.

Barnes was not always steady. After shooting 45.8 percent from 3 in January, Barnes has hit just 32.5 percent from deep in his last ten games. The last thing the Celtics need is to spend substantial assets on a player to see him struggle in the post-season.

How would he fit?

Positionally, Barnes is perfect. The Celtics need wing depth and points, and he offers that plus a bit of defensive potential. He turns 29 in May, so his timeline is down a bit, but the Celtics are hoping to win now, and Barnes will probably help them do that. He can also boast experience of playing deep into the post-season as a tertiary option.

The conclusion

Barnes fits perfectly and is a good player. A star might move the needle more, but if the Celtics can get him at a relatively low price, he might be the perfect way to bridge the gap between what the Celtics expected and what it was this season.

So will Sacramento be willing to part ways? It could depend on what the Celtics are willing to give up. The Kings are not just going to give Barnes away, but if they continue to struggle after the break, the reality may be hard to ignore.