Boston Celtics exchange rumors: What would Harrison Barnes add to the team?

On Monday, Kevin O’Connor of Ringer reported that the Celtics expressed “significant” interest in the Orlando Magic All-Star Nikola Vucevic as the negotiation deadline approaches.

On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix added another frequently discussed name to the mix: Sacramento Kings striker Harrison Barnes, who Mannix reported the Celtics were “high on.”

Like Vucevic, Barnes’s name floated around in the Celtics’ circles for a while. Here is a more detailed look at what he would bring to the table.

The big picture

Born in Iowa, Barnes was the No. 1 candidate in his high school class. He spent a year in North Carolina before entering the draft, where the Golden State Warriors selected him with the 7th choice. Barnes never matched his high school earnings, but he quickly became a useful player for the Warriors and was part of the team’s first championship in 2015. The following season, Barnes started for the Warriors when they won a record number of regular season games. , and he was prominent on the team that exploded a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. He signed with Dallas in the off-season when Golden State acquired Kevin Durant, and he was later negotiated with Sacramento Kings, where he signed a lucrative extension.

At 1.80 m tall, Barnes can play with both 3 and 4. The 28-year-old has two seasons left in his contract after this year. He will earn $ 22.2 million this season, $ 20.3 million next season and $ 18.4 million in 2022-23.

What would it take to catch Barnes?

The Kings are an unpredictable franchise, but they would probably be well served if they dismissed Barnes in favor of choices and young talent. Sacramento lost eight of their last 10 games and 11 of their last 15, falling to the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Most teams in this scenario are willing to send high-priced veterans away.

Barnes is having a good season, however, and other teams will also be interested. The Celtics can build an attractive offer with draft choices and some young talent like Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith, but how many first-round choices would Danny Ainge be willing to pitch to a role player? And does he have bigger plans for the TPE than Barnes?

What is Barnes good at?

Most important for the Celtics: Barnes is a well-known commodity. You can earn 15-20 effective points per game in almost every scenario. This season, Barnes averages 16.7 points from 49.2 percent of shots, while hitting 39.2 percent of his 3 points. The Celtics have a huge void behind Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, which Barnes would comfortably fill.

Barnes is not just a sniper – he drives 8.2 times per game, according to NBA tracking data, and hits 57% on those attempts. His percentage of assists (the number of shots by teammates Barnes helped) is also solid at 13.4 percent – the league’s 75th percentile among attackers.

Barnes is not known as an elite defender, but he is large and versatile enough to cover a few different positions, and the Kings have 9.5 points per 100 possessions better with him on the ground, largely due to his defensive numbers. With Barnes at stake, Sacramento’s defense is 5.6 points per 100 most successful possessions.

What are the concerns?

Barnes is a good player, but not an All-Star. That can be a good thing – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have carried a huge load this season, and they both deserved All-Stars as a result. They may prefer a rock-solid player, but it remains to be seen whether the ups and downs of the Celtics should think a little more.

Barnes was not always consistent. After hitting 45.8 percent on January 3, Barnes hit just 32.5 percent of rock bottom in his last 10 games. The last thing the Celtics need is to spend significant resources on a player just to see him fight in the postseason.

How would he fit in?

Positionally, Barnes is perfect. The Celtics desperately need depth and punctuation on the wings, and it offers that in addition to some defensive potential. He will be 29 in May, so his timeline is a little wrong, but the Celtics hope to win now, and Barnes would probably help them win. He can also take pride in playing deeply in the postseason as a tertiary option.

The final result

Barnes is a great player and a good player. A star can move the needle further, but if the Celtics can acquire it at a relatively low cost, it can be a perfect way to bridge the gap between what the Celtics expect to be and what it has been this season.

So will Sacramento be willing to part ways? This may depend on what the Celtics are willing to give up. The Kings will not simply hand over Barnes, but if they continue to fight after the break, the reality can be difficult to ignore.