Utah Jazz Receive: F Harrison Barnes
Sacramento Kings Receive: G/F Joe Ingles, F Royce O’Neale, UTA 2025 1st Round Pick (Lottery-Protected)
To have any shot at landing Harrison Barnes in a trade, the Utah Jazz are going to have to be prepared to shake up their roster. Currently $40.5M over the salary cap and about $16M over the tax line this season, Utah is currently paying a lot of money to field the team they have and as a result, they do not have many options on how to bring in another high-paying contract.
Trading away Bojan Bogdanovic is certainly an option for them, but it is reasonable to believe the Jazz would rather trade away Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale based purely on a production standpoint.
Ingles is beloved by the Jazz fan base and his teammates, but the 34-year-old veteran has not been getting the job done this season. Through 43 games, Joe Ingles has only averaged 7.4 points and is shooting just 35.5% from three-point range, the lowest mark of his career.
Royce O’Neale has been a key defensive role player that has started in 45 of Utah’s 49 games this season, but his upside is limited for this team too given that they want to contend for a championship this year. In five seasons with the Jazz, O’Neale has never averaged double-figure scoring and is nothing more than a role player on the wing.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: ‘Optimism’ Around NBA That Kings Will Trade Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes would open up the Jazz offense more than both Ingles and O’Neale, as well as make them an even better scoring team than they already are. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Barnes has been drawing interest around the league and the Jazz have been showing a level of interest.
Adding veteran Rudy Gay for more depth at both forward positons was key and will prove to be vital come late in the season for the Jazz, but finding reliable scorers next to Donovan Mitchell has been tough for Utah this season.
Bojan Bogdanovic has had his inconsistencies from time-to-time shooting and while he was an All-Star last season, Mike Conley is more of a facilitator than a pure scorer.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: ‘Optimism’ Around NBA That Kings Will Trade Harrison Barnes
Needing another difference-maker who can make plays for himself offensively, the Utah Jazz could utilize Harrison Barnes at either forward position and count on him to be a catch-and-shoot threat on the wing or in the corner, similar to his role with the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, who won a title.
Assuming the Sacramento Sacramento Kings are willing to take on Ingles’ and O’Neale’s contracts for a future first-round pick, this is a legitimate trade we could see happen in the coming weeks.
