The rumors on the impending NBA Free Agency signing period are gaining steam and the Golden State Warriors have an issue to address.
Harrison Barnes had his time to shine in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. With Draymond Green suspended, the weight of what Green brought to the team had to be shouldered primarily by Andre Iguodala and Barnes himself. Unfortunately, Barnes had one of his worst games in the playoffs, shooting just 2 of 14 and missing open three-point shots one after the other.
That makes it difficult for the Warriors to justify a max contract for Barnes. It is anticipated that he will get an offer from teams starving for talent and awash with cap space, and the LA Lakers remain the primary example. As stated in Lakers Outsiders, despite his recent setback, he still fits what the team needs.
"Barnes is a the prototypical 3-and-D guy that the Lakers have needed since losing Trevor Ariza to free agency seven years ago," LO stated. "After the last handful of years of taking risks on players like Wes Johnson, having the injury bug bite Xavier Henry and plugging a square peg into a circle hole with Nick Young, Barnes would be the best Lakers small forward in nearly a decade (though, again, that isn't a hard list to top)."
However, since Barnes is a restricted free agent, all the power rests with the Golden State Warriors front office. Even if another team offers the max, the Warriors have the right to match it. On the estimate that the max starts at $21 million, Barnes will be the highest paid fourth stringer in the league. That's assuming he's behind the Big Three of of Curry, Klay and Draymond. A case can be argued that it's Andre Iguodala who's next in the pecking order.
In a report by Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Warriors owner Joe Lacob has been quoted: "It is not going to be a monetary issue because this ownership is willing to spend whatever it takes to build a championship here and be extremely competitive every year."
The belief is that Lacob would be pushed to keep the entire team if they win the title and they are one game away from achieving that.
However, Deveney also tweeted that the Warriors are open to a sign and trade agreement if Barnes wants to leave and play a bigger role for another team.
The LA Lakers and Boston Celtics are two teams looking for a wing scorer, which Barnes projects to be. As always, the Celtics have the edge on trade assets and the Lakers don't really have something to offer the Warriors (top assets D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle have roles similar to the Warriors Big Three) aside from the no.2 pick (possibly Brandon Ingram, who could be a better/worse version of Barnes) and it's possible they don't put that on the table.
Will the Celtics deal Jae Crowder, a versatile defensive wing for Barnes? He may also be the one asset that the Warriors could want from the Celtics? That's also difficult because Crowder is very valuable to the Boston as seen here.