Renewed trade winds swirl around Kings forward Harrison Barnes; Phoenix Suns interested
Kings forward Harrison Barnes has been the subject of numerous trade rumors over the past couple of years. Now, his name has come up again.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Friday the Phoenix Suns have expressed interest in Barnes, a 10-year veteran who is capable of playing either forward spot. Barnes’ numbers have dipped this season, but he’s a skilled and savvy player who averaged over 16.0 points per game while shooting better than 39% from 3-point range each of the past two seasons.
The Kings (8-6) have won five in a row and eight of their last 10 going into Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons (3-13). The Kings might otherwise be reluctant to tinker with a team that is leading the league in scoring, but Barnes is in the final year of a four-year, $85 million contract. He could walk away as an unrestricted free agent this summer if he isn’t traded first.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings are currently not involved in any trade talks involving Barnes, saying the team is instead focused on building chemistry with the current group.
Still, Barnes acknowledged some uncertainty about his future in Sacramento during training camp, joking that he monitors the latest trade news from Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“You know how the NBA is,” Barnes said. “I check Woj. I check Shams. They’ve still got me here, so as far as I’m concerned, this is where I’m supposed to be and I’m going to give my best effort.”
Barnes, 30, is averaging 11.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season. He is a former NBA champion who has started 700 of his 761 career games.
Barnes isn’t the only one the Suns have cast their gaze upon. They have reportedly shown interest in a number of other forwards, including the Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins, Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma and Houston Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr.
The Suns are looking to move Jae Crowder, a 32-year-old forward who has been away from the team since requesting a trade prior to the season. The 10-year NBA veteran averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 39.9% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range last season. He is owed $10.2 million this season in the final year of a three-year, $29.2 million contract.
Crowder would help to fill the void if the Kings choose to trade Barnes, but they could be eyeing other possibilities as well. Collins and Kuzma are players they’ve been linked to in past trade discussions. They might want to revisit those conversations if Collins and Kuzma are available now.
Collins, 25, fits the timeline the Kings have established with a core of young players who are entering their prime, including De’Aaron Fox (24), Davion Mitchell (24), Kevin Huerter (24), Malik Monk (24), Keegan Murray (22) and Domantas Sabonis (26). In his sixth NBA season, Collins has career averages of 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. He is earning $23.5 million this season in the second year of a five-year, $125 million deal.
Kuzma, 27, is averaging 18.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his sixth season. He is shooting just 30.6% from 3-point range this season, but he hit 36.1% in 2020-21 and 34.1% last season.
The trade deadline isn’t until February, but business could pick up beginning Dec. 15, when players who signed new contracts during the offseason become eligible to be traded.
This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
