NBA Rumors: Celtics Could Use $28.5 Million TPE To Acquire Harrison Barnes From Kings
After the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks made major upgrades to their rosters, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ainge isn’t expected to remain silent while watching their Eastern Conference rivals grow stronger. With a plethora of precious trade assets, Ainge’s Celtics are in a strong position to make big acquisitions before the 2021 trade deadline. Aside from having young and promising talents and future draft picks, they could also use the $28.5 million Traded Player Exception (TPE) that they created by sending Gordon Hayward to the Charlotte Hornets in order to acquire a quality player.
In a recent article, Jack Maloney of CBS Sports named some of the players that the Celtics could target using the $28.5 million TPE. These include veteran small forward Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings.
“Barnes has been something of an afterthought since he left the Golden State Warriors, but out in Sacramento he’s been quietly putting together one of the best seasons of his career. Through 21 games he’s averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists, while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point land — both of which are career-best marks. He’s not really someone you would think of as a pure shooter, nor is he a lockdown defender, but he’s capable in those areas and in terms of combining all the traits that Ainge is looking for, he might be the best fit.”
Barnes may not be on the same level as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George, but he would still be a great addition to the Celtics. It’s worth noting that before he became a King, he was a starter on the Golden State Warriors’ team that won the NBA championship title in 2015 and posted a historical 73-9 record in the 2015-16 NBA season.
Barnes hasn’t yet earned an All-Star recognition, but his arrival in Boston would bring significant improvement to their performance on both ends of the floor. He would give the Celtics another reliable scoring option, rebounder, on-court facilitator, floor-spacer, and defender. What makes him a more intriguing acquisition for the Celtics is his knowledge of how to efficiently play on a team with multiple All-Star-caliber players.
With his experience with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in Golden State, Barnes would likely have an easy time building chemistry with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker in Boston. Though he hasn’t demanded a trade from the Kings, he would probably love the idea of being traded to the Celtics. Compared to the Kings, going to Boston would give him the opportunity to make it to the playoffs again and contend for his second NBA championship title.
