Here’s what you need to know about Harrison Barnes and Alec Burks, the newest Kings
Here are profiles on Harrison Barnes and Alec Burks, who were acquired by the Kings in two trades Wednesday:
Harrison Barnes
Age: 26
Position: Small forward
Height/weight: 6-foot-8, 225 pounds
Drafted: Round 1, No. 7 overall, Golden State Warriors, 2012
Experience: Seventh season
College: North Carolina
Contract status: Third year of a four-year, $94.4 million contract ($25.1 million player option for 2019-20)
Barnes represents a clear and immediate upgrade for the Kings at small forward, giving them the size, length and scoring ability they’ve lacked at the position since Rudy Gay ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in 2017. Barnes is also versatile enough to slide over to power forward in small-ball lineups.
Barnes averaged 17.7 points in 49 games for the Dallas Mavericks this season before the Kings acquired him Wednesday in a trade that sent Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to Dallas. Barnes is shooting an impressive 39 percent from 3-point range. He led the Mavericks in scoring each of the past two seasons, averaging 19.2 points in 2016-17 and 18.9 points in 2017-18.
Barnes doesn’t bring the same tenacity Iman Shumpert demonstrated on defense, but he has prototypical size for the small forward position and may match up better with bigger wings such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Barnes is also versatile enough to defend multiple positions.
Barnes spent four seasons with the Warriors. He was a starter on Golden State’s 2014-15 NBA championship team, so he brings the highest level of postseason experience to a Kings team vying for its first playoff berth since 2006.
Alec Burks
Age: 27
Position: Shooting guard
Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 214 pounds
Drafted: Round 1, No. 12 overall, Utah Jazz, 2011
Experience: Eighth season
College: Colorado
Contract status: Final year of a four-year, $42 million contract
The Kings acquired Burks from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in a three-team trade that sent Iman Shumpert to the Houston Rockets. Sacramento also picked up a 2020 second-round draft pick from Houston.
Burks, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, gives the Kings wing depth behind guards Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic. He’s listed at 6-foot-6 with a 6-10 wingspan, ideal size for a shooting guard with enough length to switch onto small forwards.
The Utah Jazz traded Burks to the Cavaliers in November. Burks enjoyed his best season in 2013-14, averaging 14 points per game. He averaged 11.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 34 games for the Cavaliers this season, including 24 starts.
Burks had a big game against Sacramento shortly after he was acquired by the Cavaliers, posting 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a 129-110 loss to the Kings. Burks is a career 35.8-percent 3-point shooter, but he has been on a roll recently, shooting 45.8 percent from beyond the arc over 15 games in January.
One concern for the Kings might be Burks’ injury history. He played only 27 games in 2014-15, 31 games in 2015-16 and 42 games in 2016-17 while dealing with shoulder, ankle and fibula injuries.
This story was originally published February 7, 2019 at 12:54 PM.
