Top 3 landing spots for Harrison Barnes before NBA Trade deadline
As the NBA trade deadline 2021 draws near, a bevy of NBA trade rumors have surrounded forward Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings.
According to Barnes himself, he has had a funny relationship with the NBA trade deadline. He says that he has been a part of NBA trade rumors every year since his rookie season and that he checks the ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski's Twitter feed regularly.
Meanwhile, a number of teams have shown interest in the forward in recent months. Harrison Barnes is averaging 16.3 points and grabbing a career-high 6.3 rebounds per game for the Kings this season.
As the Sacramento Kings have seemingly fallen out of playoff contention, their players have entered a lot of trade discussions as the March 25th NBA trade deadline approaches.
Three teams that could trade for Harrison Barnes ahead of the NBA trade deadline
ESPN Analyst Zach Lowe spoke about Sacramento Kings' scenario ahead of the NBA trade deadline,
"The Kings are open to listening on everyone aside from De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, but it’s going to take a lot to pry away Barnes and Richaun Holmes, sources said."
With a lot of teams reportedly interested in Harrison Barnes and the Kings ready to listen to reasonable packages, let's take a look at three potential destinations for Barnes as the NBA trade deadline gets closer:
#1 Boston Celtics
According to the latest NBA trade rumors, the Boston Celtics are the frontrunners to acquire Harrison Barnes.
They have shown interest in the forward for quite a while now, and he fits their roster quite well. He has championship experience and would fill any frontcourt role in the team. A starting lineup of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Harrison Barnes could look quite potent.
As per Sam Amick of The Athletic, multiple front office people around the league believe that the Boston Celtics could make a move for Harrison Barnes.
#2 Miami Heat
According to NBA trade rumors about the player, the Miami Heat are also in contention to trade for Harrison Barnes.
Their last year's campaign ended at the NBA Finals, so the front office could do whatever it takes to bolster their roster for another shot at the title. As per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Harrison Barnes fits the description of what the team is looking for. He said in this regard:
"(The Sacramento Kings) also have a player in Barnes who could be a good fit on teams like the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, who are in need of a battle-tested combo forward who can provide versatility and two-way play. "I think Barnes will be in play, said an East executive."
Harrison Barnes would play in the frontcourt with Jimmy Butler on the Miami Heat. He would provide the team with decent scoring and also guard the opponent's forwards at the defensive end.
#1 Golden State Warriors
There was always speculation about Harrison Barnes returning to the Golden State Warriors. Barnes spoke about the Golden State Warriors in a recent interview with Paulo Uggetti of The Ringer, saying in this regard:
"The Warriors will forever be my foundation in the NBA, and a lot of those relationships with those guys I still have and will have for the rest of my life."
A player always has an attachment to the team that drafts him and the team he won a championship with.
Harrison Barnes helped the Golden State Warriors win the 2015 title and achieve a 73-9 record in 2016 as the team's fourth option. He has good chemistry with the Warriors core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and he would ideally be filling the same role he did earlier.
According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, league sources say that the Warriors are listening to lots of potential offers for Kelly Oubre Jr. and he would be an ideal trade asset for the team, given that he'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
With the NBA trade deadline just around the corner, one should keep an eye out for Harrison Barnes, as whichever team lands him would certainly get better with him in their roster.
Also Read: Golden State Warriors: 3 areas to keep an eye on during the 2nd half of the 2020-21 NBA Season.