San Antonio Spurs Season Preview: Can Harrison Barnes Impact Winning?

This offseason, the San Antonio Spurs traded for Harrison Barnes, although they didn't have to give up anything in return. The Chicago Bulls, desperate to get any sort of return for DeMar DeRozan, sent him to the Sacramento Kings in return for Chris Duarte and two second-round picks. The Kings needed to clear some cap space and sent Barnes packing to Texas.

Barnes, 32, won an NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors in 2015 and has been the model of consistency ever since. Only twice in his career has he not played at least 70 games, and he has shot a solid 38.5 percent from three over the last five seasons.

Barnes is under contract for two seasons, making $18 million this season and $19 million the next. During his tenure with the Kings, he was a high-level starter and could fetch a decent return, should the Spurs trade him to a contender.

For now, expect him to be an upgrade in the starting lineup over Julian Champagnie. He is adept with the ball in his hands but will also be perfectly reliable from behind the arc as a catch-and-shoot threat. As the Spurs look to develop Stephon Castle's playmaking, having a threat behind the arc will do wonders. Plus, we will space the floor in the starting lineup for Victor Wembanyama.

In a starting five featuring Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Barnes, and Wembnayama, expect Barnes to be the third-leading scorer, as he is more of a shooting threat than both Paul and Sochan. He is a solid defender, but with Castle, Wembanyama, Sochan, and Vassell all receiving significant minutes, he will play a smaller role on that end of the floor.

Barnes is coming in as a veteran presence, and he understands he might not win right away with the team. "It takes a while to build things in this league," he said. "In order to be good, you have to have a formula to success. And I think that over the years the Spurs have been one of the toughest teams I’ve ever competed against."

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For free, the Spurs added (at worst) a high-level trade chip they can flip this season. At best, the Spurs added a key part of their young core's development.