On Monday, the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported the Celtics have expressed “significant” interest in Orlando Magic All-Star Nikola Vucevic as the trade deadline looms.
On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix added another often-discussed name to the mix: Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, who Mannix reported the Celtics are “high on.”
Like Vucevic, Barnes’ name has floated around Celtics circles for a while. Here’s a closer look at what he would bring to the table.
The big picture
An Iowa native, Barnes was the No. 1 prospect in his high-school class. He spent one year at North Carolina before entering the draft, where the Golden State Warriors selected him with the 7th pick. Barnes never quite lived up to his high-school billing, but he quickly became a useful player for the Warriors and was a part of the team’s first championship run in 2015. The next season, Barnes started for the Warriors as they won a record number of regular-season games, and he was prominent on the team that blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. He signed with Dallas in the offseason as Golden State acquired Kevin Durant, and he was later traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he signed a lucrative extension.
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 make $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 would probably be well-served offloading Barnes in favor of picks and young talent. Sacramento has lost eight of its last 10 games and 11 of its last 15, sinking to the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Most teams in that scenario are willing to send away high-priced veterans.
Barnes is having a good season, however, and other teams will have interest as well. The Celtics can build a compelling offer with draft picks and some young talent like Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith, but how many first-round picks would Danny Ainge be willing to flip 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 known commodity. You can pencil him in for 15-20 efficient points per game in nearly every scenario. This season, Barnes is averaging 16.7 points on 49.2 percent shooting while hitting 39.2 percent of his 3-pointers. The Celtics have an enormous void on the wing behind Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, which Barnes would fill comfortably.
Barnes isn’t just a shooter — he drives 8.2 times per game, according to the NBA’s tracking data, and he shoots 57 percent on those attempts. His assist percentage (the number of teammate shots Barnes assisted on) is solid as well at 13.4 percent — 75th percentile league-wide among forwards.
Barnes isn’t known as an elite defender, but he’s big and versatile enough to cover a couple of different positions, and the Kings are 9.5 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor largely due to their defensive numbers. With Barnes in the game, Sacramento’s defense is 5.6 points per 100 possessions more successful.
What are the concerns?
Barnes is a nice player, but not an All-Star. That might be a good thing — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have shouldered an enormous load this season, and they were both deserving All-Stars as a result. They might prefer a rock-solid role player, but it remains to be seen whether the up-and-down Celtics should be thinking a little bigger.
Barnes hasn’t always been consistent. After shooting 45.8 percent from 3 in January, Barnes has hit just 32.5 percent from deep in his last 10 games. The last thing the Celtics need is to spend significant assets on a player only to watch him struggle in the postseason.
How would he fit?
Positionally, Barnes is perfect. The Celtics desperately need wing depth and scoring, and he offers that plus some defensive potential. He turns 29 in May, so his timeline is a little off, but the Celtics are hoping to win now, and Barnes would likely help them do so. He can also boast experience playing deep into the postseason as a tertiary option.
The bottom line
Barnes is a great fit and a good player. A star might move the needle more, but if the Celtics can acquire him at a relatively low cost, he might be a perfect way to bridge the gap between what the Celtics expected to be and what they have been this season.
So will Sacramento be willing to part ways? That might depend on what the Celtics are willing to give up. The Kings aren’t going to simply give Barnes away, but if they continue to struggle after the break, reality might be difficult to ignore.
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