After spending the last 5.5 years with the Sacramento Kings, Harrison Barnes will be calling a new place home in 2024-25. In July, as a part of a sign-and-trade that landed the Kings DeMar DeRozan, the man Kyle Draper used to call "Black Falcon," was sent to the San Antonio Spurs to help the prodigious Victor Wembanyama make the first playoff run of his career.
According to recent reports, the former Kings forward will be making his way back to Sacramento for the first time since the transaction this December, as the Kings are set to host the Spurs on Sunday, December 1.
Sources say Harrison Barnes will make his first return to Sacramento to face his former Kings team, alongside Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, on Sunday, Dec. 1. https://t.co/ZHVjm9Dr9P
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) August 14, 2024
Why Does This Matter?
It's cool that Barnes is coming back to Sacramento andall, but why should we care? After all, many people (myself included) viewed Barnes as the weak point of our starting lineup last season.
Still, even though Barnes aged out of his usefulness for our specific team construct, does not mean that he was not an important part of our success once upon a time. In fact, as recently as 2022-23, Barnes started every game for us, averaging 15 PPG and 4.5 RPG on 37.4% shooting from three in a season where the Kings ended their dreaded playoff drought.
On the surface, Barnes does not fit the criteria for being a franchise icon, but given how rough the last two decades have been for this team, the fact that Barnes played a role in helping to turn the tide for us should be enough for us to get excited about his return.
(Sidebar: Even though Barnes outlived his usefulness to us, I still think he can be a starting-caliber forward in this league. It just needs to be a team that doesn't desperately need at the power forward spot like we do.)
Can We Win?
The Spurs have done a good job of putting some more structure around their burgeoning superstar. Along with Barnes, they also added "The Point God," himself in Chris Paul. On top of that, they drafted talent-rich rookies like Stephon Castle and Harrison Ingram, and they should be benefitting from some development from the rest of their young core (Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan) along with the growth we are sure to see from Wembanyama.
The bottom line is that the Spurs will be much improved in 2024-25. But even when you factor that in, the Kings should have a significantly better roster on paper. We will also have the home-court advantage, as the game will be played at Golden 1 Center. By all accounts, the Kings should be favored here.
In total, Barnes played 399 regular season games for the Kings. During that stretch, he averaged 14.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG on 38.7% shooting from three.