NBA Rumors: Kings Want 1st-Round Draft Pick in Harrison Barnes Trade Before Deadline

AP Photo/John Bazemore

The Sacramento Kings have an eye on the future in any potential Harrison Barnes trade leading up to the Feb. 10 trade deadline.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, executives around the NBA believe the Kings are looking for “at least a first-round pick” if they are going to move Barnes. That a struggling team in Sacramento is seeking a valuable future asset with one of its biggest trade chips isn’t surprising considering this has seemingly turned into another lost season.

Scotto pointed to the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans as two teams in the Western Conference that have expressed interest in Barnes, although he was unsure if the Jazz would be willing to part with Bojan Bogdanovic in addition to a draft pick in a trade.

It also remains unclear if the Kings would accept an injured Joe Ingles.

New Orleans is two games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, while Utah is the No. 4 seed and a true contender. Barnes is someone who could join a contender and be an immediate contributor for the rest of this season and the next one since he is under contract through the 2022-23 campaign.

That means he is more than just a pure rental player and figures to command more value in a trade from the Kings’ perspective.

Barnes won a championship with the Golden State Warriors as a role player but is more of a primary scorer on the 18-34 Kings.

He is averaging 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from deep. His ability to connect from three-point range makes him particularly intriguing for teams with players who command defensive attention elsewhere, such as Donovan Mitchell for the Jazz or Brandon Ingram for the Pelicans.

Other contenders looking for shooting around their star players may also get involved in trade discussions, especially since there will only be so many impact playmakers available at the deadline with the play-in tournament providing more lanes for teams to remain in the postseason race.