Harrison Barnes Gives Spurs Another Vet To Help With Victor Wembanyama Rise

You won’t win any championships simply by trading for Harrison Barnes. But for the San Antonio Spurs, it was a wise move that could help take them places.

If nothing else, the veteran forward and point guard Chris Paul will make the Spurs better and undoubtedly assist the growth of reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. It doesn’t take a high-ranking basketball official to figure that out, either. 

Barnes was acquired via the Sacrament Kings as part of the three-team DeMar DeRozan trade with the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan going to the Kings was the highlight of this deal — but there is also a lot to be said for the acquisition of Barnes.

Basically, putting older vets around Wembanyama shows that the Spurs don’t want to just keep losing as they allow the “process” to run its course. For starters, continuously accepting losing is no way to keep your franchise player.

As Jeje Gomez of SB Nation wrote: “Barnes is not going to be the difference between the lottery and the playoffs, but he’s a great fit for the 2024-25 Spurs. He could slot perfectly next to Jeremy Sochan at the forward spots, providing valuable outside shooting after connecting 39 percent of his outside shots in Sacramento last season.”

Also worth mentioning is the fact Barnes, 32, played in all 82 games for Sacramento last season. He averaged 12.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists, shooting 38.7% on 3-pointers.

He may not be an All-Star, but he is a team-first guy who will fit well under coach Gregg Popovich and create space for Wembanyama.

“Sochan, in turn, could help cover up some of the decline Barnes has experienced on the defensive end,” Gomez wrote. “The duo can swap between who’s the perimeter-oriented one on offense and defense, with Barnes taking on bigger forwards while also spacing the floor. The former Warriors’ lottery pick transitioned into becoming a low-usage player since becoming a King, so he won’t take away many touches from others, but he can punish a mismatch. There’s a lot to like about his addition.”

Barnes also has a championship ring from his time with the 2015 Golden State Warriors. He then was a starter for a Kings team that won the Pacific Division in 2023, making their first playoff appearance in 17 years.

Like Paul, Barnes has been around a lot of winning.

Are they past their prime? For sure. But they also have a lot to offer a young, rising center like Wembanyama. So consider this trade not just a win for the Kings, but for the Spurs as well.