“Pass or Pursue” on 3 recently listed Boston Celtics trade targets
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics trade target No. 2) Harrison Barnes
Buddy Hield isn’t the only Sacramento Kings player that is viewed as an ideal trade target for the Boston Celtics, as Buckley listed his teammate, Harrison Barnes, as a potential option for Brad Stevens to pursue.
Despite the fact that Ime Udoka seems hell-bent on keeping the dual-big lineup of Al Horford and Robert Williams intact, it’s become more than evident that in order to make the team start gelling, particularly on offense, logically they must dissolve this type of lineup and, instead, look to fill the power forward slot with a player who has a more modern skillset, and Barnes could be that guy, with the B/R piece even describing him as arguably a ‘no-brainer’ target.
"He might not be the first name that comes to mind when considering third stars to support the Jays, but the fact he sits a tier beneath full-fledged stardom might be a good thing. It would at least make him easier to pencil into a third-banana role, meaning he wouldn’t step on any toes and should fill in the cracks wherever they form from one night to the next. He’s as solid as a Grant Williams screen, and Barnes has the adaptability needed to thrive as a glue guy. He can play all three frontcourt spots—though, you’d be pretty desperate (or bold) to play him at the 5 for more than a pinch—he can guard up or down a position on defense and his three-ball boasts a 38 percent splash rate over his decade-long career."
In the midst of arguably his best season in the association, Barnes is posting stellar per-game averages of 16.4 points, six rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep on five attempts.
On top of this, he is also finding himself converting on 47 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and boasts a 70.3 percent effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot attempts overall, both being attributes that would absolutely come in handy within Boston’s scheme that ranks within the top-10 in hoisting up such shots, yet ranks in the bottom-10 when it comes to actually converting them.
As he’s already proven, Barnes is quite capable of thriving in a rotation alongside others who demand a high volume of touches (De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield), so it’s safe to say that the 10th year pro would remain equally as effective if found suiting up next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which could wind up being a true game-changer for this team moving forward.