Harrison Barnes (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
With the NBA Free Agency madness going on full steam at the end of the week, teams will use every possible trick in the book to recruit.
The Philadelphia 76ers has been the league's worst team for the last three years and they would need all the help they can get. When they hired Jerry Colangelo and eventually, Bryan Colangelo, they wanted their experience and connections to help seal the deal for their prospects.
The Sixers need talent at every position and not too many players are keen on choosing them. While they did get the top draft pick and will also debut Joel Embiid, it's reasonable that agents want to see how that works out on the basketball court.
It's unlikely for them to get the top names like Kevin Durant or DeMar DeRozan as they're not the only ones who will offer max salary. However, they may have secured an advantage for another prospect.
Chris Ryan of The Ringer took note of a somewhat surprising addition to Team USA. Harrison Barnes was highly criticized during the NBA Finals when his streak of missed open shots was a factor that led to his team losing the championship.
Thus, when he was chosen as part of Team USA, there were some observers who raised eyebrows.
Team USA is not too much of a big deal anymore since they brought home the gold since 2008 and has separated themselves from the rest of the world especially after the beleaguered 2014 FIBA World Cup team still won the gold.
Team USA's preparation for the Rio Olympics team boasted the biggest pool of players, but many of them begged off. LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard were two of the top small forwards and they excused themselves. Thus, choosing Barnes was not so far-fetched.
Still Ryan made the connection. "Jerry Colangelo is the man in charge of Team USA. He has selection power, and he wields that power," Ryan wrote.
Then, Ryan takes the money shot. "Does Harrison Barnes's surprising inclusion on Team USA signal that the Sixers could be a player in landing his services this summer? No, but it does signal that there is a relationship. And when you think about it, Barnes in Philly makes a lot of sense."
Aside from the obvious max salary offer the Sixers could throw, Barnes could be the face of the franchise-the best player among their young crew.
Recruiting happens on Team USA. The Miami Heat Big Three started their idea in Beijing 2008. Jerry Colangelo himself admitted to the Michael Lee of The Vertical.
"That's a huge thing, I think. Plus, many of them are in situations where they're not happy with their teams in the league and they come to us and it's a whole different environment. Guys want to be happy, they want to have a good time and we've created a situation where they have that opportunity, so it sells itself."
While the context is that superstars get the idea of playing together, it could also work for a player like Barnes, languishing in the lower rung of the Warriors pecking order getting the feel of winning again-under a team manager who appreciates him.
This is just a theory that Chris Ryan presented and even if it were true that Colangelo recruited Barnes to the Sixers, there's nothing wrong with that, any more than what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did when they were in Beijing.
