NBA Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors Should Strongly Consider Trading Harrison Barnes

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By @Greg_Sacidor

Kyle Terada - USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors may be off to one of the best starts in the NBA, but if they hope to jump to the next level, then they should strongly consider trading forward Harrison Barnes.

After losing a seven-game series to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of last year’s Western Conference playoffs, the Warriors needed a change. Rather than shaking up their player personnel, ownership made the unpopular decision, with both fans and players, to make a head coaching change by firing Mark Jackson. At the beginning of this year, newly hired head coach Steve Kerr continued the surprising moves by starting Barnes at the small forward position over Andre Iguodala, who the team brought in via free agency prior to the 2013-14 season. The young, athletic Barnes has played well 10 games in, as he is averaging 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in just over 28 minutes per. But despite the success of Barnes and the success of the team, the Warriors still have needs that have to be addressed.

All season long, power forward David Lee has been hampered by a hamstring injury. As a result, Lee has only played in one game this season. In his spot, third-year forward Draymond Green has been getting the start, averaging about 12.9 points and 7.2 rebound per game. However, Lee’s injury is nothing new to the Warriors, as he has been forced to miss a substantial amount of time over the past few seasons, all due to injury. This repetitive problem then eventually ends up taking a toll on the Warriors’ bench depth in the playoffs. In order to solve this problem, the Warriors should consider trading Barnes.

If the Warriors were to trade Barnes, they would not be left with a big hole to fill. In the absence of Barnes, coach Kerr could just simply move Iguodala into the starting small forward role, a role he has held for the most part of his career. By moving Barnes, the Warriors could acquire a power forward to solidify the hole left by the injury-prone Lee. A guy like Kenneth Faried, who has reportedly fallen out of favor with the Denver Nuggets, would be a perfect addition. Not only does Faried bring a defensive presence that could help the Warriors in the playoffs, but he also has experience playing alongside the Warriors’ two young superstars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as the three were teammates this past summer with Team USA.

But even if the Warriors don’t acquire Faried, any talented power forward they could get in exchange for Barnes would be an upgrade. The newly acquired power forward could take over the starting duties for the team, thus allowing Lee and Green to come off the bench with the second unit. This combination would improve the Warriors’ depth issues, as well as allow Lee to play slightly fewer minutes in an attempt to keep him healthy.

So as the Warriors’ season moves along, this is something the front office should keep in mind. Yes, Barnes is playing well to start the season, but sometimes you have to give in order to receive. If the Warriors were to consider moving Barnes for a starting power forward, then their early regular season success would likely translate into postseason success.

Greg Sacidor is a Philadelphia 76ers and NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.

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