Harrison Barnes to Mavericks: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
Harrison Barnes reportedly turned down the Golden State Warriors' four-year, $64 million extension offer before the 2015-16 season started, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, but he cashed out in a big way when he agreed to a new deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks officially signed Barnes to a four-year, $94 million deal on Friday, per Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
ESPN's Marc Stein initially reported the sides agreed to terms on July 4.
Barnes thanked the Warriors on Twitter for his time in Golden State:
Stein had reported earlier on July 4 the Mavericks would "proceed with their planned $94 million offer sheet to [Barnes] July 7" after Kevin Durant announced on the Players' Tribune he will join the Warriors for a reported $54.3 million two-year deal. Stein, citing sources, added Golden State would "renounce him to make him unrestricted free agent but Dallas full steam ahead on Barnes."
Although Barnes struggled mightily to the tune of nine points per game on 38.5 percent shooting from the field during the postseason, he solidified himself as a strong three-and-D wing throughout the Warriors' record-setting regular season.
Not only did the 24-year-old average a career-high 11.7 points per game, but he drilled a solid 38.3 percent of his threes. Barnes has now converted better than 38 percent of his treys in back-to-back seasons after sputtering from beyond the arc during his first two seasons out of North Carolina.
| 2012-13 | 81 | 9.2 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 43.9% | 35.9% | 11.0 |
| 2013-14 | 24 | 9.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 39.9% | 34.7% | 9.8 |
| 2014-15 | 82 | 10.1 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 48.2% | 40.5% | 13.4 |
| 2015-16 | 59 | 11.7 | 4.9 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 46.6% | 38.3% | 12.3 |
At 6'8'' and 210 pounds, Barnes also boasts ideal size for a modern combo-forward. That much was clear when he played 44 percent of his minutes at the 3 and 55 percent of his minutes at the 4 last season.
Barnes' most important role during the Dubs' 73-win quest came in the team's premier small-ball grouping. Alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, Barnes held down the fort and helped that unit outscore opponents by a stellar 47 points per 100 possessions.
Replicating that sort of success as a versatile fixture in a new locale won't be easy, but the former lottery pick has proved throughout his first four years in the league that he's able to adjust on the fly and play a variety of roles.
"Though stardom might not be in the cards for Barnes, his ability to slide down to power forward is crucial to the Warriors' ability to play small, and he's a fine role player," ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton wrote.
So even though images of Barnes clanging open corner three-point attempts off iron in the NBA Finals may be seared into the minds of fans everywhere, he's plenty capable of making those memories a thing of the past.
Barnes drilled 47.8 percent of his corner threes during the 2014-15 season, and he's converted 41 percent of those total looks over the course of his career.
If he can sustain that pace playing off the ball while assuming some more responsibility as an off-the-bounce playmaker, Barnes could soon justify the lofty payday.
