Matt Barnes' Assault Trial Date Pushed Back to Accommodate NBA Finals

Golden State Warriors forward Matt Barnes received an adjournment in his misdemeanor assault case Friday after his lawyer argued Barnes had the potential to play in the NBA Finals.

Shayna Jacobs of the New York Daily News reported attorney Alex Spiro told the court, "I have reason to believe my client will be playing in the NBA Finals." In turn, Manhattan Criminal Court judge Herbert Moses agreed to push the next hearing back to June 27. 

Barnes, who signed with the Warriors on Thursday following an injury to Kevin Durant, appeared in court ahead of the team's road clash with the New York Knicks on Sunday. He didn't speak to reporters after leaving the courtroom, according to the Daily News.

Rebecca Rosenberg of the New York Post noted the 36-year-old is facing charges of third-degree assault and obstruction of breathing for allegedly choking a woman and attacking her boyfriend during a Dec. 5 brawl at a nightclub in New York City.

"The complainant and their companions, we have reason to believe, were intoxicated, using substances, and that they were the initial aggressors," Spiro said.

DeMarcus Cousins, Barnes' former Sacramento Kings teammate who was recently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, was also at the club, Avenue, that night.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported in January that Cousins was "cleared of all wrongdoing" and would not be prosecuted in the case. Stein said both Barnes and Cousins were named in a civil lawsuit related to the December incident, though.

Friday's decision allows Barnes to focus on the rest of the NBA season. The Warriors have faced off with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals two straight years. They won the title in 2015 but let a 3-1 lead slip away last year.

A third straight meeting could be on the horizon. Both teams lead their conferences, with the Warriors holding a 50-11 record in the West and the Cavs sitting at 42-18 in the East.

June 18 is the latest possible date for the 2017 NBA Finals to end.