In this pretend deal, Sacramento adds the former second-overall pick.
Among the numerous NBA teams that missed out on the postseason, the Sacramento Kings were arguably the most deserving. With 46 victories in the end, the Kings were only one victory away from winning the eighth seed in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Many supporters understand the importance of certain roster adjustments for Sacramento this summer, despite how close they were to making the playoffs. The Kings have an unexpected opportunity this off-season thanks to hypothetical trades created by Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes and Dan Favale for each team that missed the playoffs.
Hughes offered Sacramento a trade in which Harrison Barnes would be sent to the Chicago Bulls in return for Lonzo Ball.
Barnes, who will turn 32 this summer, has played for the Sacramento Kings for the previous five seasons, but many feel that his tenure there should come to an end. Even though the seasoned forward has had successful seasons, each year they keep him, his productivity decreases in value. His contract, which was re-signed to a three-year, $54 million deal last off-season, will be an excellent salary filler in any trade that may come along. Since being selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, Ball, 26, has established himself as one of the league’s most gifted young point guards. Ball hasn’t touched an NBA court since January 2022 and hasn’t managed to play more than 63 games in a season since that time.
Ball’s poor injury luck has been one of the most unfortunate stories in recent NBA memory, as the talented point guard will likely never reach his true potential. If the Kings were to take a flyer on him this off-season, they would need assurance of his health, and even then, this player swap does not make much sense for Sacramento. March reports of Ball’s rehab show signs of progress, but Chicago’s point guard remains uncleared for contact. Sacramento’s point guard depth is headlined by star De’Aaron Fox and admirable backup Davion Mitchell, so there is no need to pay Ball $21.4 million next season to take a chance on his health. Many Kings fans would agree with the idea of flipping Barnes for a potential upgrade, but trading for Ball is likely not the answer.
