Late last week Shams Charania of the Athletic reported that the Phoenix Suns were interested in Harrison Barnes, among other trade targets. From Shams:
The Suns have a handful of first-rounders to move, but given the team’s impending ownership change, it’s also uncertain how many future assets the current regime can move. In addition, the Suns expressed interest in forwards such as Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes, Washington’s Kyle Kuzma and Houston’s KJ Martin, league sources have said.
The Suns have been trying to find a trade partner to take on Jae Crowder, who is away from the Suns while they shop him and is in the final year of his contract. Barnes' name being in trade rumors is nothing new, as he's been featured heavily in rumors for the last two seasons. As a respected veteran who is now also in the final year of his contract, those rumors figure to continue through the trade deadline.
But according to ESPN 1320's James Ham, the Kings have no interest in moving Barnes at this moment:
According to a league source, the Kings are not currently in conversations regarding Barnes and they are focused on building chemistry with the present roster.
After the Kings' 0-4 start, Barnes felt like the odd man out in the Kings starting lineup. His scoring, shooting, assists, and rebounds all looked awful. He looked sluggish on defense. Many Kings fans, myself included, wondered if the Kings had waited too long to trade Barnes and what would happen if his value had suddenly plummeted.
But Barnes has recovered nicely. He was instrumental in the Kings recent win over the Detroit Pistons, and his numbers across the board have recovered. Over the Kings current 6-game win streak Barnes is averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 42.1% from 3. His season numbers are still down overall, but are creeping back to normal with each passing game.
While there's an obvious concern about Barnes' impending free agency, it makes sense for the Kings to bide their time and not be overly eager to shake up the roster when the team is playing so well. Barnes was long asked to be the second or third best player on the Kings, and then blamed when he underwhelmed those expectations. Now Barnes is the 4th or 5th best starter, which is ideal for a player of his caliber. Barnes isn't going to give you 20+ a night, but on any given night he's capable of getting hot. And on the nights he doesn't he can still contribute.
The Kings could still move Barnes at the deadline, but as long as the Kings are playing well the team will need to be very cautious not to unnecessarily disrupt the locker room vibes for anything less than a great return.
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