Report: Mavericks trade Harrison Barnes to Kings while he was on the court
One move wasn’t enough for the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Hours after dealing Iman Shumpert away as part of a three-team deal, the Kings went out and acquired Harrison Barnes from the Dallas Mavericks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The move must have come together quickly, because Barnes was on the court playing for the Mavericks against the Charlotte Hornets when the deal broke. He didn’t play the fourth quarter and finished the game with 10 points in 26 minutes.
Not sure if Harrison Barnes knows he got traded…sitting on the bench…Kings players got pulled pic.twitter.com/R20dh3thkm
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) February 7, 2019
The decision to deal Barnes in the middle of the game drew criticism from Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. The 34-year-old James took issue with the narrative that emerged as a result of the deal.
A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Feb 6, 2019 at 8:43pm PST
The 26-year-old Barnes is averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Following the game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle praised Barnes as a “model pro” and “one of the most improved players in the game.”
Rick Carlisle addresses the Harrison Barnes trade, calling Harrison a model pro & one of the most improved players in the game#MFFL | #NBA pic.twitter.com/cU6td4vz49
— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) February 7, 2019
Barnes made sure to thank the “incredible fans” in Dallas for the past 2.5 years.
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) February 7, 2019
In exchange for Barnes, the Mavericks will receive Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 37-year-old Randolph averaged 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. He has not been activated for a game this season. Jackson, who was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft, is averaging 6.7 points.
The move signifies the Kings are going to try and make a run at a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Sacramento entered Wednesday a game out of the final playoff spot in the West.
If that doesn’t happen, the team is hoping to have Barnes long-term.
The Kings want to make a long-term play to keep Barnes, who has a player-option on his $25M deal for the 2019-20, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/teCw98MfAY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2019
Barnes could accept that player option and return to the Kings next season for $25 million. It’s also possible Barnes could decline that option, in favor of a long-term deal that would keep him in Sacramento, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
For the Mavericks, the move was about freeing up cap space.
There is a new leader in the clubhouse with cap space. The trade to acquire Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson now has the Mavericks with $13.1M in room to either use at the deadline or up until June 30. Dallas now projects to have $30M in room for… https://t.co/dHQ2xPxjTg
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 7, 2019
After picking up Kristaps Porzingis in a deal with the New York Knicks, the Mavericks will have additional cap room to try and find yet another impressive star to pair with Porzingis and standout rookie Luka Doncic.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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