Harrison Barnes was a big part of the Sacramento Kings’ long-awaited return to the playoffs. He provided veteran presence, three-point shooting, and defense that fit well with the Kings’ young pieces. This is the first time since 2016 that Barnes is a free agent, and since he is 30, he will be looking to sign a lucrative long-term contract.
Considering last regular season’s success, the Kings might want to try to keep Barnes around, but he has other options, too. Not many great wing players are on the market this summer, but plenty of teams are looking for a 3-and-D wing to pair with their stars. Barnes is the prototype of that player and could be the missing piece for several teams. So, let’s look at four teams that could steal him from the Kings.
4. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers look like they are close to figuring something out. In the 56 games that Haliburton played, they looked pretty good. He was an All-Star this season and has a bright future as the team’s centerpiece. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin also had a promising season and could grow into one of their main offensive options soon.
What the Pacers do not have at the moment, however, is a power forward to round out the starting lineup. Barnes can play the four, and even though he is not the most mind-blowing power forward out there, he is solid. Solid could be good enough for now.
The Pacers already have six players averaging double-figures, four averaging over 15 points, and decent three-point shooters, including Myles Turner. What they need from a power forward right now is defense, shooting, and floor spacing, which Barnes can provide. That way, they could play lineups with five good or at least decent outside shooters on the floor.
Besides, the Pacers are in a good position regarding this year’s draft and could pick up their power forward of the future. Since whoever they draft will not be ready immediately, Barnes could help guide them for a few years until they are ready to take over.
3. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks traded Harrison Barnes to the Kings during the 2019 trade deadline for Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph, but now they could use his skillset again. If they resign Kyrie Irving this summer, the Mavericks need a better supporting cast around their star players than they had this year. They cannot afford another underwhelming season while Luka Doncic plays at an MVP candidate level and wants to compete with the top teams in the league.
Thus, they desperately need a wing player and defender to fill the gaping hole that has haunted them since they shipped Dorian Finney-Smith to Brooklyn as a part of the Irving trade. Barnes alone will not be enough to fix the Mavericks’ defensive issues because there are so many of them, but signing him would be a good start to improve their perimeter defense.
After going all in on Irving, the Mavericks have limited assets to get reinforcements to Dallas, but they should be able to afford Barnes. In return, Barnes could give them defense, reliable scoring – his scoring average of 15 points would be fourth-best on the post-trade roster – and experience in supporting star players due to his stint with the Golden State Warriors in 2015 and 2016.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
With Dillon Brooks out the door, the Grizzlies need a new small forward who delivers on both ends of the floor. They need even more than that, however, a veteran presence who can help instill good habits in their young stars, particularly Ja Morant, and hold them accountable. Barnes could fill both needs.
Defensively, Barnes would be a step down from Brooks, but his offense would make up for it. The only two Grizzlies players who shot better than Barnes’ 37.4 percent from three this season are Desmond Bane (40.8 percent in 58 games) and Luke Kennard (54 percent in 24 games). They need that shooting to stretch the floor and allow Morant to attack the paint, so Barnes would largely boost their current wing rotation. Inserting Barnes into the starting lineup would make Steven Adams the only player in that group that you do not want to take an outside shot.
He might cost more than they want to pay, but no good 3-and-D guy comes cheap nowadays, and the Grizzlies need to do whatever it takes to compete past the first round of the playoffs. Between Bane, Morant, and Jaren Jackson Jr., they have too much young talent to not be one of the top teams in the West, and Barnes could be the right player to get them there.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Barnes is the type of player the Cavaliers were looking for all season long. Since they traded for Donovan Mitchell, the big question was who would be the starting small forward. Isaac Okoro eventually secured the spot with his lock-down defense, but his outside shooting was too streaky in the playoffs. Their lack of floor spacing, among other things, killed them in the first-round series against the New York Knicks, and now they need to fix that wing rotation.
Barnes is not as good of an on-ball defender as Okoro, but he is still a good enough defender, and his shooting could push the Cavaliers to the next level. Darius Garland is the only Cavalier who shot better from three than Barnes this season. It is difficult to succeed in today’s NBA without proper shooting, especially if you want to play two bigs like the Cavaliers like to do with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Furthermore, Barnes would give them a playable veteran, which is not something the Cavaliers have plenty of. Danny Green technically fits the profile of what they are looking for, but he just returned from an injury, so he, Raul Neto, and Robin Lopez were clued to for the bench for most of the season. Ricky Rubio led the second unit during most of the regular season before he became pretty much unplayable in the playoffs. Barnes would be a much more reliable option who could support the young core and help them compete.
Top 3 free agents the Kings should target to replace Harrison Barnes
With Harrison Barnes entering free agency, the Sacramento Kings can either re-sign the veteran forward, or look to upgrade at the position