3 Trade Destinations for Kings’ Harrison Barnes in 2024 NBA Offseason

After making the playoffs two seasons ago for the first time since 2006, the Sacramento Kings had high expectations last season. Instead, they finished the regular season 46-36 and missed the playoffs after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in.

Despite missing out on the playoffs, Sacramento still has a bright future with a young core of Domantas Sabonis , De’Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray . Fox still has two years on his deal, but he has stated that he wants to see how the Kings’ roster takes shape for the long haul before signing an extension. Because of this, Sacramento may look to retool their roster this summer to not only make a playoff push next season but also keep their All-Star guard around for the future.

Sacramento has already made a couple of roster moves this offseason. They kept a key piece in Malik Monk , who signed a four-year, $78 million extension with the team. With the 13th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, they selected Devin Carter, who will fill in as the Kings’ backup point guard or could take the reins from Fox in the future if he does not sign a long-term extension. If Sacramento does look to retool their roster this offseason, one player they could trade away to add more talent is Harrison Barnes .

Barnes is coming off of his 12th season in the NBA. In 82 games last season he averaged 12.2 points, which was his lowest since his last season as a member of the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16. He also averaged a career low 3.0 rebounds per game. The 6-8 forward did shoot the ball well last season. He shot 47.4% from the field and 38.7% from three.

Despite his struggles last season, Barnes may still gain interest from around the league if he is available for trade. The 32-year-old still has two years left on his contract, and Sacramento could use him in a package to add another star player.

Here are three trade destinations for Barnes this offseason.

3 Chicago Bulls

Kings add former All-Star

After the Chicago Bulls traded away Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder , it looks like they are finally going to start a complete rebuild this offseason. That means that Zach LaVine has officially been placed on the trade block.

Many teams around the league may call Chicago about a deal for LaVine, but the Bulls should not expect a huge haul for the former All-Star. One team that has placed themselves as the frontrunners for LaVine is the Kings. If a trade does happen between the two sides, Barnes would likely be the main piece that Sacramento would have to give up.

In this trade, the Kings would add LaVine to their roster to chase a championship next season. LaVine would replace Kevin Huerter as the team’s starting shooting guard, creating one of the most athletic backcourts in the league with him next to Fox.

He would also be another key weapon on offense, as he averages 20.5 points per game over the span of his career. If the Kings do acquire LaVine, expect them to make a push up the stacked Western Conference next season.

For Chicago, they would receive Barnes and Huerter, both of whom could be traded later on or to a third team in this deal for more assets. With Chicago entering a rebuild, adding as many draft picks over the next few seasons is necessary.

This means the more important pieces of the trade for the Bulls are the Kings’ 2026 first and 2025 second-round picks. Chicago would also acquire another young talent in Keon Ellis , who could be part of their rebuild with their other young core of Matas Buzelis , Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu .

2 New Orleans Pelicans

Kings and Pelicans swap forwards

The Pelicans, like the Kings, are also looking to retool their roster this offseason. After being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, New Orleans has hinted at a possible roster shakeup.

The Pelicans want to build around Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum , leaving Brandon Ingramas a key trade piece. With many teams expected to be interested in Ingram this offseason, expect Sacramento to be one of them.

In this scenario, the Kings would swap Barnes for Ingram and Dyson Daniels . Ingram would slot in as Sacramento’s starting small forward as a younger, better version of Barnes. Daniels could receive more playing time by splitting time with Devin Carter as the primary backup point guard. With the addition of Ingram, the Kings might just become a team to beat in the West.

For New Orleans, they would replace Ingram with Barnes, while also adding a possible key bench piece in Huerter. With Barnes in the starting lineup, McCollum and Williamson would have the ball in their hand more since Barnes is more of an off-ball player.

Huerter would be able to add scoring off the bench for the Pelicans and could also be a starting guard for them if they need him to be. They would also acquire two future first-round picks and a second-rounder in next year’s draft. With these additions, the Pelicans could take a step forward and continue to compete in the Western Conference.

1 Atlanta Hawks

Kings swap Barnes for size and defense

With the Atlanta Hawks securing the first overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft and selecting Zaccharie Risacher , it is becoming likely that they are entering a rebuild this offseason.

There have already been rumors circulating about the Hawks trading away one or both of their All-Star guards, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young . While both guards are enticing to some teams, the Kings may be interested in two of Atlanta’s role players.

In this mock trade, the Kings swap Barnes for Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter . Capela would add size to a team that lacks it. He would immediately become Sacramento’s backup center to Sabonis, adding a great inside scorer and rebounder to the second unit.

They would also acquire Hunter, who would likely slot into Barnes’ small forward role. Hunter is a solid three-point shooter and defender who is still young and would be an upgrade over Barnes. With these additions, the Kings could keep their primary core intact while adding two role players that would immediately make an impact. With these acquisitions, Sacramento could take another step toward becoming a legitimate Western threat.

For Atlanta, they would add Barnes, who could be used in a later trade to acquire more assets. They would also add a young player in Colby Jones and also two future second-round picks. The most important part of this deal for the Hawks is getting Capela and Hunter’s contracts off the books, which would open up a ton of cap space for them to make moves either this summer or down the road.

With the Kings looking to retool their roster, expect Barnes to be the main piece of a trade this offseason. He could be used in a package to help the Kings acquire another star or key role players to make a playoff run next season. If the Kings can successfully retool their roster this offseason, expect them to light the beam often next year.

Related

Raptors Acquire Mitchell, Vezenkov From Kings for McDaniels

Toronto is helping Sacramento clear some roster space.