Harrison Barnes Agrees to Contract with Dallas Mavericks
Forward Harrison Barnes was a key factor in the Golden State Warriors' run to a second consecutive NBA Finals appearance, but he has decided to move on.
On Monday, Barnes agreed to terms with the Dallas Mavericks.
Continue for updates.
Barnes Announces Decision to Sign With Mavericks
Monday, July 4
Barnes confirmed he will be heading to Dallas in a message to his fans on Twitter:
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the Mavericks and Barnes had reached a "verbal agreement" on a four-year, $94 million offer sheet. Earlier, Stein reported the Mavericks would "proceed with their planned $94 million offer sheet to [Barnes] July 7" after Kevin Durant announced on the Players' Tribune that he will join the Warriors for a reported $54.3 million on a two-year deal. Stein, citing sources, added that "Golden State will renounce him to make him unrestricted free agent but Dallas full steam ahead on Barnes."
On Saturday, Stein, citing sources, reported the Mavericks "intend to sign" Barnes to a "four-year max offer sheet on July 7."
Golden State's intention to match any offer has been known for a while, with Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via RealGM) reporting Friday the team would do so barring landing Durant's signature.
On June 29, Stein and colleague Marc J. Spears reported the Warriors "rate keeping Barnes as a top priority in the event they are unable to lure Durant away from the [Oklahoma City] Thunder."
Warriors Extend Qualifying Offer to Barnes
Wednesday, June 29
Alongside Festus Ezeli, the Warriors gave Barnes a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lakers Reportedly Pursuing Barnes
Tuesday, June 28
Chris Broussard of ESPN reported Barnes is among the free agents the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in this offseason.
76ers Reportedly Planning Run at Barnes
Tuesday, June 28
Marc Stein of ESPN reported that the Philadelphia 76ers "plan to be serious suitors" for Barnes at the start of free agency, citing league sources.
Barnes Comments on Free Agency
Monday, June 27
"The first thing is I want to come back," Barnes said when asked about what he'll be looking for as a free agent Monday, per SiriusXM NBA Radio.
On June 4, the 24-year-old wing was asked about his line of thinking regarding free agency, per NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper.
"It's out of my control," Barnes said. "People say, 'Do you want to be here in Golden State?' A lot of it is, look, I love Golden State. I'd love to be here. But there's also some other factors that factor into that. You know what I'm saying?"
Multiple Teams Interested in Barnes
Saturday, June 11
Sean Deveney reported that "several teams with significant cap space this summer—the Celtics, Lakers, Suns, Mavericks among them—have the intention of pursuing Barnes, especially as a fallback option for Durant. Barnes is expected to receive an offer of at least $20 million per year or perhaps as much as a max offer starting at about $23 million."
Barnes Was Important Piece to Warriors' Success
Barnes averaged a career-best 11.7 points per game for the loaded Warriors during the regular season to go along with 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
He missed 16 games after sitting out just five over the course of his first three seasons, but he has largely been a durable player. He has started 246 of the 307 regular-season games he has appeared in.
Barnes was a great fit in the Warriors' fast-paced, frenetic offense, but there is no question he could be more productive on the Mavericks, at least from a statistical standpoint.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
