Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes may be on the trade block next month, and he would be a good fit for the Celtics, who will have some money to spend. Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
If Harrison Barnes would like to be traded to the Boston Celtics next month, the Sacramento Kings’ forward put together an impressive audition.
Barnes is a potential trade target for contending teams and the Celtics are expected to be buyers with the $28 million trade exception they gained when Gordon Hayward left.
Barnes, a 6-foot-8 forward, who can guard multiple positions, is just 28 and signed for two more seasons. He has championship experience with Golden State and won a gold medal with Team USA in the Rio Olympics. A well-liked and well-respected veteran could be a valuable piece for the young Celtics.
He’s a strong defender and can be a secondary scorer. He had 24 points, six assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes in Sacrament’s 116-111 win over Boston, Wednesday.
It’s possible however that Sacramento might choose to keep Barnes if Wednesday was any indication of its potential. De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton look like a pretty dynamic backcourt tandem to build around. The same tangibles and intangibles, Barnes would give the Celtics he could offer the Kings as well in Sacramento.
ALL-STARS: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are each fourth among Eastern Conference players at their respective positions in the NBA’s Fan All-Star voting results.
Each would need a considerable surge in voting to move into the top three.
While classifying either Tatum or Brown in one position minimizes their versatility, for purposes of voting, the Celtics had to put them somewhere.
Tatum is fourth among frontcourt players with 822,151 votes. He’s behind Kevin Durant (2.3 million), Giannis Antetokoumpo (1.75 million) and Joel Embiid (1.58 million). Former Celtic Gordon Hayward is currently ninth with 159,767 votes.
Brown is fourth among Eastern Conference guards at 590,195. Bradley Beal (1.27 million) is tops among backcourt players. Brooklyn fans have been active voting here too as Kyrie Irving (1.09 million) is second) and James Harden (1.01 million) is third.
LeBron James (2.29 million votes) and Stephen Curry (2.11 million) lead the Western Conference voting in frontcourt and backcourt respectively. Fan voting, which ends Feb. 16, is combined with media and player voting to determine starters.
NBA fans can vote multiple times a day and on several days the NBA has had “Your vote counts TWICE” days.
IF THERE’S one thing we know about Bill Russell, it’s that he can block a shot.
But the COVID-19 vaccine? That’s one shot the 87-year-old Boston Celtics legend is going to let go in uncontested.
On Thursday, Russell was featured in a PSA showcasing him going in to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
“I just arrived to get my COVID shot, and this is one shot I won’t block,” Russell said in the video. “No Celtics were harmed during my shot. Let’s do this together.”
We don’t know exactly how many shots Bill Russell blocked during his NBA career, since blocks didn’t become an official stat until after he retired. Still, the 11-time NBA champion is considered one of the best ever to protect the rim.
Russell, spent his entire NBA career with the Celtics and was a 12-time All-Star and five-time MVP and even spent his final three seasons as a player-coach. He had his No. 6 retired by the Celtics in 1972 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975.
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