The Kings' Forgotten 'What If' Could Have Changed Everything

The Sacramento Kings are enduring a nightmare of a postseason, as their former star De'Aaron Fox is on his way to the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs, and former coach Mike Brown is leading the New York Knicks back to the championship for the first time since 1999. Fox and Brown are stealing the headlines, but there's another key member from The Beam Team that is on his way to the biggest stage as well: Harrison Barnes.

While Barnes isn't getting the playing time and coverage that Fox is, he's once again getting praised for his veteran presence on the Spurs. San Antonio is an incredibly young team, but they've been poised and prepared for the playoffs since they tipped off, and it's hard not to assume that Barnes is a big part of that.

Mike Brown will see a couple familiar faces on the other sideline in the NBA Finals.

The former Kings head coach joked about facing De'Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes with the Spurs:

"They definitely want to beat me and I want to kick their a**."

Brown also praised the veteran… pic.twitter.com/uB5DR4v8vz
— Kirsten Moran-Kellar (@kirstenlizmoran) June 1, 2026

Not only does he have championship experience, but he's a known leader and locker room presence and leader in the community. His playing time may be down, but his role on the Spurs is likely larger than many see from afar. And it bring up another big 'What If' in recent Kings history.

The Forgotten 'What If'

There is no shortage of 'What Ifs' to choose from when it comes to the Sacramento Kings. What if they didn't trade Tyrese Haliburton? What if they went all in for an elite wing? What if Fox hadn't hurt his finger in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors?

The point it, there are so many things the Kings have done wrong, or at least that haven't worked for them, since the Beam Team and now. And one that feels like it doesn't get enough attention is the swap of Harrison Barnes for DeMar DeRozan.

There's no denying that DeRozan is the more talented player between the two, but looking back, Barnes may have simply been the better fit between the two players. In order to sign DeRozan, the Kings completed a sign-and-trade that sent Barnes to the Spurs.

ESPN Sources with @TimBontemps: The Sacramento Kings are agreed on a sign-and-trade that will land DeMar DeRozan on a three-year deal, send Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash to the Chicago Bulls. pic.twitter.com/eopPkSPBvc
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 7, 2024

DeRozan came in and did exactly what he's always done, averaging 22.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds for the Kings, but it didn't lead to the postseason success that Sacramento hoped for.

There's an argument that can be made that the Kings would have been better keeping Barnes (and their pick swap...and second-round picks) for the sake of continuity as well as his veteran leadership in the locker room. DeRozan wasn't a problem at all behind the scenes, but Barnes was one of the leaders in the locker room his entire tenure in Sacramento, and his departure could have hurt them more than the front office thought.

Jan 5, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) and guard De'Aaron Fox (5) congratulate forward Domantas Sabonis (10) after he scored against the Toronto Raptors during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

DeRozan is the better pure scorer between the two veterans, but Barnes was a better shooter, and the Kings didn't necessarily need another scorer. What they really needed was more wing depth, which they depleted with Barnes' departure. Barnes could have passed the mantle of defensive responsibility to Keegan Murray and shifted to a reduced role as a shooter and someone who could get to the line as needed. In his final year with the Kings, he shot 38.7% from three, and for reference, DeRozan topped out at 35.2% from three in the 2021-22 season with the Chicago Bulls.

There's no denying that the Kings needed to take a big swing to try and get back to the playoffs, but looking back now, the path they chose was the wrong one. Would keeping Barnes and making other fringe moves or a different type of all-in move have done the trick? We'll never know, but it joins the infamous list of 'What Ifs' in Kings history.

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