Harrison Barnes Contract: Latest News and Rumors on Negotiations with Warriors

Joseph ZuckerAug 28, 2015

Harrison Barnes is set to hit restricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. Should that happen, the Golden State Warriors could find themselves in an expensive bidding war. As a result, the team is hard at work to lock Barnes up to a long-term extension before that happens.

Continue for updates.

Myers Sheds Light on Possible Timeline for Extension

Friday, Sept. 25

Warriors GM Bob Myers said, per Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, that fans can look for a new Barnes contract "Oct. 28-31."

Zach Lowe of Grantland reported Barnes decided to change agents because of a dispute over the four-percent commission that agents collect on new contracts.

Chris B. Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported Barnes parted with agent Jeff Wechsler as he works towards getting a new contract on Sept. 17.

Barnes started all 82 games for the Warriors last year, averaging 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds a night. He also shot an impressive 48.2 percent from the field, including 40.5 percent from long range.

Although those numbers aren't overly impressive, you could see another team throwing a big offer sheet Barnes' way in free agency. He's a versatile forward who contributes at both ends—not to mention that he'll be only 24 a year from now.

You'd expect the Warriors to do everything they can to re-sign Barnes in the next month or two. Still, it wouldn't be all that surprising if Barnes waits to see if he can increase his value over the course of the coming season, similar to what Kawhi Leonard did last year before getting his max deal with the San Antonio Spurs.

Warriors Reportedly Offer Barnes Extension

Sunday, Sept. 20

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported the Warriors extended a four-year, $64 million extension to Barnes. However, Barnes did not sign the deal.

"The $16 million annual offer wasn’t accepted, but appears to be a starting point in talks that could last until the Oct. 31 deadline for rookie extensions," added Wojnarowski.

Golden State has signed Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to long-term extensions, but it will need enough cap space to offer Stephen Curry a max deal in 2017. The Warriors will also want to have enough flexibility to retain veterans like Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala.