Mavs Roundtable: Could Trade for Harrison Barnes Elevate Dallas?
The Dallas Mavericks have played an excellent brand of basketball for the last couple of weeks, spearheaded by a stingy defense that seems to get better as time passes.
Despite how good the Mavs have looked as of late, though, there is always room for improvement when the team has pretty much had the same roster for nearly three years now with no playoff series wins to show for it. With the NBA trade deadline coming up on February 10, Dallas will have an opportunity to swing for the fences or simply bolster its depth.
Could a reunion trade for Sacramento Kings' forward Harrison Barnes elevate the Mavs to new heights? How much should the Mavs be comfortable offering the Kings in such a trade? The DallasBasketball.com staff answers those questions here.
Dalton Trigg: Barnes has yet to turn 30 years old, and he seems to be a better overall player than he was in Dallas. He’s averaging 16 points and six rebounds per game for the Kings while shooting a career-high 42 percent from deep. I also think Barnes would fit in much better with this current Mavs roster than he did in his first stint in Dallas.
That said, even though Mavs GM Nico Harrison says he’s the one who handles all the trade calls, it’s hard for me to believe that Mark Cuban would allow him to give up too much for a guy they traded for a bag of chips nearly three years ago.
Barnes isn’t a superstar, but he’s a piece that could potentially solidify the Mavs as a title contender if their recent stretch of stellar play proves to be sustainable. Would the Kings be interested in a Mavs package consisting of Tim Hardaway Jr., Moses Brown and perhaps a second round pick or two? That’s probably the most I would comfortably give up for Barnes right now.
Lance Roberson: I understand the trepidation in the Dallas Mavericks trading yet another draft pick, but Harrison Barnes is worth it. At this point, the 2025 first-round pick should be the last thing on the Mavs' front office's mind.
Regarding Mark Cuban's pride in this hypothetical situation, winning heals all. It also doesn't hurt that Barnes, similar to Powell, is quite a humanitarian with ties to the Dallas community. Simply put, Barnes makes a lot of sense on and off the court, making for a timely reunion.
To me, trading Powell's contract, a hopeful but still unproven Josh Green, and a pick three years away sounds like a reasonable haul for someone who raises the Mavericks' floor.
Mike Fisher: While there is plenty to be said for “building incrementally” - the title team was certainly constructed that way, “trading-a-paper-clip-up-to-a house”-style … this is a bit too incremental for me.
Maybe I’m growing too impatient, and maybe I’m too in love with “the big swing.” But I prefer this franchise try it that way.
Matt Galatzan: I am still suffering from Harrison Barnes PTSD from the last time he was on this team. But I do think that if they re-acquire him, the dynamic would be different this time around.
He wouldn’t be asked to be a primary scorer any longer and would be relegated to a secondary role where I believe he could thrive.
With all of that said, I think if the Mavs make a trade, they should try and make a big splash, and not give up what few assets they have for a complimentary piece — especially one that they sold for pennies on the dollar just two seasons ago.
