Latest On Harrison Barnes

THURSDAY, 11:26am: The Cavs have also asked the Warriors about Barnes, but Golden State doesn’t intend to trade him, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 8:08am: The Grizzlies are going after Harrison Barnes as they seek to upgrade their small forward spot, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The Warriors are looking for a quality backup big man, but Memphis will clearly have to give up more than Kosta Koufos to acquire Barnes, Amick notes (Twitter link). The Warriors have received a deluge of calls about their second-year small forward, but they’ve been unwilling to trade him unless they can get a marquee player in return, as Amick reported last week.

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said a week ago that the team is unlikely to trade Barnes, Klay Thompson or Stephen Curry, and the Warriors have reportedly told Barnes that he won’t be dealt, barring a blockbuster. The seventh overall pick in 2012 is averaging just 10.4 points in 29.2 minutes per game, but he’s shooting 40.9% from three-point range.

Memphis appears ready to shake up its rotation, if not its core, having begun discussions with the Wolves about shipping Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince to Minnesota for Chase Budinger and J.J. Barea. It would be tough for the Grizzlies, or any team, to construct a trade for Barnes without taking back at least one other high-salaried player, since Barnes is making only a little more than $2.9MM on his rookie scale contract. Most players making that much or less wouldn’t constitute the sort of return the Warriors are looking for. While Golden State has a trade exception worth more than $9.8MM available, absorbing that much salary without sending nearly as much out would put the team into the luxury tax.