Potentially look to move Harrison Barnes

Leading up to this year’s NBA trade deadline, Harrison Barnes was a veteran player that came up a lot in trade rumors, but no team ever made a formal offer for him. Now finishing up his 9th season in the NBA, Barnes will be turning 29-years-old at the end of May, but can easily still contribute to a high-level for a playoff caliber team. 

So why would the Kings want to trade Barnes if he has been one of their key, reliable players all season long? Well, the Kings are tied down to Barnes through the 2022-23 season and owe him upwards of $38M. Freeing up this cap space and potentially creating a trade exception that can be used midseason next year could make a lot of sense. 

There are plenty of holes to fill on this Kings roster, especially in their second-unit, so trading Barnes for one or two role players and a future draft picks definitely makes sense for Sacramento, especially since Marvin Bagley III is under contract for next season and they have guys like Maurice Harkless and Terence Davis who will all be free agents this offseason that the Kings could look to bring back at an affordable price. 

After opening up their checkbooks for De’Aaron Fox last offseason and potentially having to do the same for Richaun Holmes this offseason, the Kings do not have much “wiggle room” financially, which is why moves like trading Harrison Barnes will have to be done. 

READ MORE: NBA Trade Rumors: This Kings-Celtics offseason trade is focused on Harrison Barnes

Since coming to the Kings, both Terence Davis and Maurice Harkless have played their roles perfectly, which is a good sign for Sacramento. They can re-sign both of these guys, while also expanding the roles of Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield in the event that they look to trade Harrison Barnes.

Freeing up some much needed cap space and giving some of their younger players a chance to prove themselves moving forward definitely makes more sense for the Kings than keeping Harrison Barnes long-term.