The Boston Celtics reportedly have been among active teams ahead of Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline.
And while reports have indicated the Celtics are “very serious” in their pursuit of Orlando Magic wing Aaron Gordon, NBA insider Zach Lowe has another idea for what he would like to see.
Lowe, while appearing on ESPN’s “Woj & Lowe” Trade Deadline Special on Wednesday, included the Celtics and Sacramento Kings in one of his favorite “Fake Trades.”
Lowe’s parameters were as follows:
Celtics receive: Harrison Barnes
Kings receive: Aaron Nesmith, Top-10 protected first-round pick, and second-round pick
Who says no that that? Well, co-host and fellow ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, for one, wasn’t a fan of the idea for the Kings.
“Well, listen, they are listening on Harrison Barnes with the Kings. But there’s this idea that you actually have a good player, on a good contract, who’s actually helped you win games,” Woj said. “They want to get into the playoffs here in the near future in Sacramento. To me, I’m not moving Harrison Barnes unless someone blows me away. He’s been a really efficient, good player for the Kings. You just can’t be in a perpetual rebuild mode.”
The 28-year-old Barnes has been linked to the Celtics as a potential target ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. Barnes is averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, his third in Sacramento, while shooting 37% from beyond the arc.
Barnes is under contract for two-and-a-half more seasons, which could be another long-term win for the Celtics, too. He has modest base salaries of $22, $20 and $18 million over the next three seasons. He will become a free agent entering his age-31 campaign ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Wojnarowski also added during the same “Woj & Lowe” show that the Celtics are a “team to watch” for Cleveland Cavaliers buyout candidate Andre Drummond.
