As Thursday’s trade deadline nears, the Kings have been sending signals that they plan to hang onto forward Harrison Barnes, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Barnes has been a frequent subject of recent trade rumors, with one report earlier today stating that the Kings were still very much open to discussing him. A follow-up report said Sacramento only wanted win-now pieces in any deal involving the veteran forward, since the team still has playoff aspirations.
It seems safe to assume that most teams with interest in Barnes are other contenders or playoff hopefuls — those clubs would likely be more inclined to give up draft picks and young prospects than players who can contribute right away, so it makes sense that the Kings are having a tough time finding a deal they like.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- The Lakers have been “very reluctant” to give up a future first-round pick in any deadline trade, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said today (video link). According to Bill Oram of The Athletic, prior to Tuesday, it seemed the front office’s preference was to wait until the offseason to do anything major, since the team’s 2029 first-round pick will become eligible to be traded at that time — L.A. could theoretically package its ’27 and ’29 first-rounders in the summer. Tuesday’s loss reportedly helped create a greater sense of urgency in the Lakers’ locker room to make a deadline move, so it will be interesting to see how the front office responds.
- The Hornets aren’t shopping forward P.J. Washington, but they’ve been willing to listen to calls about him, according to Jordan Schultz, who reports (via Twitter) that the Heat, Raptors, and Rockets are among the teams with interest in Washington.
- Bulls guard Coby White has been mentioned off and on this season as a possible trade candidate, but he doesn’t sound too concerned about what will happen at the deadline, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relays. “I think I’ll be here past the deadline,” White said. “I haven’t really been worried about it.”
- According to Johnson, there’s not much buzz right now about the Bulls making a major splash at the deadline. League sources tell Johnson that Chicago seems more interested in a frontcourt addition than acquiring a player like Dennis Schröder. Two of Johnson’s sources said the team’s reported interest in Schröder has been overstated.