Harrison Barnes may be on the verge of winning his second consecutive title with the Golden State Warriors, but he’s definitely looking forward to what promises to be an interesting summer.
The 24-year-old wing player is set to become a restricted free agent once the NBA Finals conclude.
He’s hitting the open market after having turned down a four-year, $64 million extension offer from the team.
He’s doing so on a market that’s primed to overpay players, an indication that he could receive a max deal from another team.
Here’s what Barnes had to say about his impending free agency.
“It’s out of my control. People say, ‘Do you want to be here in Golden State?’ A lot of it is, look, I love Golden State,” Barnes said, via NBA.com. “I’d love to be here. But there’s also some other factors that factor into that.”
When asked specifically what might be out of his control, Barnes responded …
“Assuming no one else chooses to sign here?”
That’s the crux of the issue here. Barnes obviously would love to return to the Warriors if all things were equal and he could get fair-market value. The North Carolina alum has taken to the local area, and seems to have etched out a role in Steve Kerr’s system.
Unfortunately for Barnes, and he seems to know this, all things are not equal.
Golden State has been linked to former MVP Kevin Durant throughout the past several months. Not only have reports come out that Durant is interested in signing with the defending champions, some of Barnes’ teammates actually believe Durant will land in Oakland.
Barnes, a top-10 pick back in 2012, has failed to see his game improve a great deal this season. He averaged 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from distance.
Not great numbers, but reasonable considering the trio that leads Golden State’s charge.
If Barnes is looking at anywhere near a max deal, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Warriors to match that. Heck, Durant wouldn’t come at a much more expensive cap hit if that were the case.
One of the most intelligent players in the NBA, Barnes knows full well what he’s up against when free agency starts. His comments magnify this even further.