Harrison Barnes Trade Rumors: Execs Believe Celtics Will Deal for Kings SF

As the Sacramento Kings seemingly fell out of playoff contention late in the first half of the season, Harrison Barnes' future with the organization has become increasingly unclear leading up to the March 25 trade deadline.  

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, multiple front office people around the league believe the Boston Celtics will make a deal for Barnes. 

The Celtics seemed to get back on track with four straight wins prior to the All-Star break after falling to 15-17 following a Feb. 24 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. 

Despite that recent turnaround, Boston does seem like a team that needs to make at least one significant move to compete with other Eastern Conference playoff contenders like the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.

The roster behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is very thin, especially with Marcus Smart still nursing a calf injury. Kemba Walker has played better lately with 21.9 points per game on 41.6 percent shooting from three-point range in 10 games since Feb. 11. He averaged 15 points on 34.2 percent shooting in his first 10 games from Jan. 17-Feb.  9. 

Sacramento was a respectable 12-11 through 23 games after a Feb. 7 win over the Los Angeles Clippers but has since lost 11 of its last 13 games to fall to 13th in the Western Conference standings. 

Barnes has two more years and $30.6 million remaining on his current contract after this season. The 28-year-old is averaging 16.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 33 starts for the Kings in 2020-21.