Harrison Barnes has agreed to a four-year, $94 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks in the midst of a flurry of moves surrounding Kevin Durant choosing Golden State, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
Harrison Barnes agrees to a 4-year, $94 million deal with the Mavericks, per report
Barnes is headed to Dallas on a max deal.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Once Durant made his pick, the Warriors renounced their rights to the 24-year-old restricted free agent, making him unrestricted and free to sign in Dallas. The Mavericks were reportedly going to offer him a full max offer sheet, so this move only facilitates his delivery to Dallas. Had Durant not joined Golden State, the Warriors would have matched any offer for Barnes.
Barnes, who was drafted by the Warriors No. 7 overall in 2012, averaged a career-high 11.7 points per game last year, to go along with 4.9 rebounds. He shot 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the three-point line. His ability to space the floor and guard multiple positions, thanks to his 6’8, 225-pound frame, played a major role in Golden State’s record-setting regular season this year and title run last year.
Barnes, however, shot poorly throughout the playoffs and only managed to hit 35 percent during the Finals His inability to connect from the field limited the impact of the Warriors’ heralded Death Lineup and Barnes saw his minutes drop over the course of the series.
Still, Barnes made it clear he wanted to return to Golden State.
"The first thing is I want to come back." - @hbarnes on what he'd be looking for as a free agency. #Warriors
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 27, 2016
Instead, Barnes is a casualty of the Durant signing and part of a last-second Mavericks contingency plan put together after the team failed to sign their top free agent targets, Hassan Whiteside and Mike Conley.
Barnes is young and a great role player, but it remains to be seen if he can grow into a larger role outside of the limited Warriors environment.
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