NBA Trade Grades: Kings picking up Harrison Barnes from Mavericks

Sacramento Kings

Just because the Mavs didn’t want to pay $25.1 million for Harrison Barnes next season doesn’t mean it’s the wrong play for the Kings. The move made sense for Dallas, which has two potential superstar pillars in place and wants to add a third over the summer.

Sacramento has no such shot at doing so, even with the monumental strides guys like De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic have made this year. All their potential cap space would likely just burn a hole in their pockets come summertime, so why not put that space to good use with a solid two-way wing that addresses a glaring position of need?

Averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 39 percent shooting from 3-point range heading into Wednesday’s abbreviated game, Barnes is not a go-to scorer or a two-way superstar. He can be a black hole on offense, and his defense has suffered since taking on an expanded offensive role in Dallas.

With that being said, he’s still better than what the Kings had on the wing before him. In a lower usage role, hopefully he’ll be able to capitalize and become a more efficient weapon on offense. At 6’8″, he’s the bigger wing this team has needed for months now alongside the smaller Hield and Bogdanovic.

With Alec Burks joining the party as part of a three-team trade just hours earlier, Wednesday’s moves put Sacramento firmly on the path back to the playoffs.

There is some concern the Kings will go full #KANGZ with their reported interest in keeping Barnes around for the long haul, but the one year left on his deal could prevent that from happening.

Even if they convince him to opt out and restructure his deal for a longer period of time, that should mitigate the annual impact such an extension would create.

Overall, this is a low-risk, high-reward move, considering all they had to give up was the untouched Z-Bo and a decent but not great prospect in Jackson. No draft picks were involved, the Kings didn’t mortgage their future for the present, and their wing rotation got stronger overall.

Barnes is far from perfect, but the Los Angeles Lakers are imploding under the weight of trade rumors, while the Los Angeles Clippers have essentially bowed out of the playoff hunt with their recent trade of Tobias Harris. This, along with the Mavs shifting their focus to 2019 free agency, provides an opening for the Kings to keep their playoff hopes on track.

It’s been too long and this season has been too fun for the Kings to not make the postseason. Wednesday’s moves confirm a return to playoff basketball is the objective, but unlike years past, they didn’t have to sacrifice their youth or future flexibility to do it. Also unlike in years past, they’ve got a legitimate chance of getting there too.

Concern over a long-term contract for Harrison Barnes is justifiable, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, this individual move is a good one.

Grade: A-