It’s the end of an era: Harrison Barnes is no longer a Sacramento King.
Barnes was the longest tenured King in Sacramento aside from De’Aaron Fox. Famously traded to the Kings at halftime of a game he was playing in back in 2019, Barnes came in to fill a void for the Kings at Small Forward and to bring young De’Aaron Fox some help. Miscast as a primary scorer in Dallas, Barnes came to Sacramento and looked to contribute in any way he could on either end of the floor. Need some scoring? Barnes could often bail out the young Kings with timely threes or a refined post up game. Need some defense? For a while, Barnes was Sacramento’s primary answer to guard the opposing team’s best player. Best of all, Barnes was reliable. In five and a half seasons in Sacramento, he missed a grand total of 19 games.
Barnes was a steady veteran presence despite the Kings largely being terrible for the majority of the time he was here. In his six seasons in Sacramento, he played for four different coaches (Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry and Mike Brown), two General Managers (Vlade Divac and Monte McNair) and dozens of different teammates as the roster kept getting shuffled. In recent years, he faced trade rumors constantly. Yet through it all, Barnes was consistent, reliable and professional.
Barnes was never a player who made nightly highlight reels, but he had his moments on the court too. My favorite actually came during the Covid lockdown season when he hit one of the craziest game winners I’ve ever seen. If this had been during a normal season with fans, the crowd reaction would have made it an all-time Kings highlight.
That shot also directly led to this hilarious moment after the game where Hassan Whiteside started saying “CAAAW”, riffing on Barnes “Black Falcon” nickname. The Kings would eventually start playing “CAAAW” in arena after Barnes baskets.
Hassan Whiteside’s IG kills me ????????
They’re really pushing the “black falcon” nickname for Barnes and I love it.
CAW!! CAW!!! pic.twitter.com/MXNtnRxCs0
— Deuce Mason (@DeuceMason) March 28, 2021
Even this last season, his least productive for the Kings as he took a step back while the Kings focused on the development of Keegan Murray, saw him have nights like where he dropped a career-high 39 points on his former team, the Golden State Warriors. The Kings needed every single one of those points, winning by just one.
Barnes should also be remembered for his impact in helping the Kings finally break the playoff drought. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis rightly earned the spotlight, and a lot of attention went to the new additions like Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray, but Barnes’ presence was just as valuable and he was able to average 15 points a night despite having the least amount of Field Goal attempts of any of those other five players. Barnes was also the player who often would right the ship during offensive lulls, putting his head down and attacking the basket, often either scoring or getting to the line (something he did that season at a better rate than anyone on the team) and helping the Kings settle down.
Barnes and his wife Brittany were also heavily involved in helping out the community, both in Sacramento and across the country. Whether he was donating time or money, Barnes involvement in charitable organizations was commendable and if I had to guess, unlikely to stop even after his career is long over.
Here’s where Harrison Barnes ranks all time in Sacramento-era history:
6th in 3 Pointers Made (678)
8th in Free Throws Made (1,321)
9th in Points (5,873)
11th in Minutes Played (13,156)
12th in Games Played (399)
14th in Total Rebounds (1,941)
23rd in Assists (826)
Barnes is now on his way to San Antonio, where he will get to play for a legendary coach and help mentor a young player in Victor Wembanyama who looks like he could end up being one of the all-time greats. He’ll likely provide the same steady veteran presence and reliability there that he did here for so many years.
Thank you Harrison Barnes. Your time in Sacramento may be over, but you’ll always be royalty here.
A pro’s pro, right? What else can you say but thank you sir!
Thank you for your service with the Kings, Harrison.
Even with last season, Barnes has been nothing but a pro’s pro and consummate professional. Never complained, never any drama, just came in and did his work. Not to mention being so durable.
I remember how excited I was when I heard the news he was traded here (we got a small forward!!!). And he definitely deserves a lot of credit for the helping the Kings break the playoff drought in the 2022-23 season.
Best of luck in San Antonio, Harrison. You’ll definitely be getting that well-deserved ovation when you return to Golden 1 Center.
Harrison Barnes was a player I was always proud to have on the Kings. Never complained on the court, veteran leader and finally answered the question: “ Can he play SF?” Wish him all the best in San Antonio
There are few Kings shots I wish would have gone in more than his buzzer beater miss against Golden State in game 4. For a player and person who’s impact we will probably never really know because they aren’t measured analytically, he deserved that game winner. At least, a year later, he was able to end his Kings career on burying the dynasty he helped create. Goodnight, good luck, and thank you, Black Falcon.
HB saw a lot of shit during his tenure with the Kings. He never made a fuss through any of it. His steady presence was a big part of what made breaking the playoff drought possible. A true professional on and off the court. Thank you, HB.
Barnes brought professionalism and a very high basketball IQ to this team. He was what this team was missing for more than a decade. He never complained. He always handled his business. Stats don’t show what he is as a player. Going to miss seeing him in the Kings uniform.
Truly a class act among class acts. Harrison Barnes is a mensch in every sense of the word. His departure is a loss to Sacramento, not just the Kings.
But our loss is San Antonio’s gain, and I’ve no doubt that the community there will be benefited by Barnes joining it.
Harrison Barnes is simply a damned decent individual who is also pretty good at basketball. I’m really happy that McNair was able to get him to work with the greatest coach in the history of the game, and where he’ll have an important role on the court, and in the locker room.
I’m going to miss him.
Best class act in a King’s uniform.
Big thank you to HB! I wish you nothing but success in Texas! Forever a King!!!
Really good ball-player, even better dude. Good luck HB, we thank you for your help in rebuilding this team and you’ll always be loved here in SAC.
No need to rush SAS back into contention right away, go ahead and take your time.
A true king. Shoutout to HB
Ultimate professional and great human being. I know he’s high up in the NBAPA as well. Maybe he comes back to Sacramento in some form after his playing days. Shoot-maybe he ends up going into politics, which has long been rumored.
Either way, wish him the best and hopefully he enjoyed his time in Sacramento as much as we enjoyed having him.
I’d like to think we’d be remiss if we didn’t also recognize that Harrison lended his character and credibility to this organization during a timeframe where little could be evidenced otherwise.
I’d also like to thank TKH for being the type of platform that writes such supportive articles about our dear departed Kings.
You’re all lifelong Kings in my book.
100% class all the way. Barnes will always be welcome in Sacramento no matter why he’s there, what team he’s playing for, or coaching for, or announcing for, or even just dropping in to say, Hi. He made the town better and he made the team better when that was a pretty hard thing to do.
A captain among men…thank you Mr. Barnes.
Will always be a part of the team that turned things around and brought some respect back to Sacramento. Job well done HB!
Good luck in SA, curious to see how Popovich utilizes him and no doubt he will be a positive impact for their young team.
A class act. Always was, always will be.
Forever a KING. If he had hit the game winner in Game 4 this would be a completely different timeline.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I cannot wait to see/hear the standing O he will get when he returns to Sac the first time
An absolute forever Sacramento King to me. He’s up there in the pantheon with the likes of Richmond, Vlade, Peja, C-Webb, Doug, and Bibby. Incredible class act and selfless player. I will always root for HB in ball and in life.
Barnes forever.
CAW!
Good human, good basketball player. I absolutely believe he belongs in whatever version of the “Ring of Honor” we have. The Round Table…? There’s a seat with his name on it.
Best of luck, Barnes-y.
If ever there was a player that embodied “More Than Basketball”, he was it. Agree with all of the above–he’s an all-timer for this organization. Gave this organization legitimacy on and off the court, after a long stretch of being perhaps the worst-run team in the league. Very happy that he was part of the team that ended the playoff draught–he deserved that.
Best wishes to him going forward, and really happy to see him in such a good situation in SA. He’ll love playing for Pop I am sure!
Thank you, Harrison! Best of luck to you in San Antonio. I will be picking up your jersey for them, like I did first for the Kings for the last few years. Your eurostep will be missed here in SacTown!
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