Here’s a compendium of reports pertaining to last week’s mutual announcement by Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and small forward Harrison Barnes to postpone contract talks until next July, when Barnes becomes a restricted free agent.
Barnes Speaks
Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports with the exclusive interview:
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“Had I not been able to get a scholarship, we used all the money for AAU, and college would not have been an option for me. It’s a blessing, obviously, to be in the NBA and to be able to provide for them. Whenever another deal gets done, that will be another blessing as well.”
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Quotes
Ethan Sherwood Strauss, ESPN.com:
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Myers declined to say how far apart the two sides are but said, “We had a lot of good dialogue, and we end the discussion on very good terms, very amicable.”
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“We still can match any offer,” Myers said of the team’s chances of retaining Barnes via restricted free agency. “We can do five years. It puts us in a maybe stronger position.”
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Barnes spoke to media about his decision, saying he “wanted to put this to rest today,” but doesn’t see his contract situation being a problem for him on the court.
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“No real worries. I approach the season the same,” Barnes said. “The possibility of getting hurt, the possibility of getting X, Y and Z numbers, all that kind of stuff. It’s all there whether you have a contract or not.”
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Monte Poole, CSN Bay Area:
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“That was the biggest thing,” he said. “My agent that takes care of all this stuff. Bob said early on that he doesn’t negotiate with players, so that didn’t change our relationship at all.
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“But we wanted to come to this decision now and focus on the season There is a lot riding on this season. We have a great team . . . so we kind of wanted to put this to rest today and just move forward to the basketball season.”
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“I would say that July is as good a chance, maybe better because you can match. Knowing July is there, maybe the incentive (to reach agreement now) isn’t as strong.”
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Diamond Leung, Bay Area News Group:
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“It doesn’t change our position with him,” Myers said. “We’re still very intent on revisiting it in July when we have an opportunity to do it. We still view him as a core member of the team in the long term.”
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“After this season, hopefully after another parade, we can do this again.”
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Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle:
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Commentary
Tim Kawakami, Bay Area News Group:
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He probably had a huge number in mind for these negotiations, figuring the GSWs had to pay him a premium in order to control his trade rights into the summer.
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Now, Barnes keeps that right. Any big trade would have to go through him, at some point.
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As a RFA, the Warriors will have to work with Barnes in any trade scenario next summer, whether it’s to OKC for (Kevin) Durant or to another team to help clear salary space for Durant (or anybody else).
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Of course, the Warriors still have a lot of power here as they hurtle towards the summer–they’ll be working the phones, they’ll be putting together all kinds of different options, and some will have Barnes staying and some will have him going.
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As Barnes put it when I asked him directly about having some power next summer as an RFA: “How much control do you really have?”
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If the Warriors get close to a Durant deal–and I don’t know if that will actually happen but I know the Warriors want it to happen–then they’ll figure out a way to work something out with Barnes, I’m quite sure, one way or the other.
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Dieter Kurtenbach, KNBR.com:
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“Just a financial matter, nothing personal,” Barnes said of the separation.
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Barnes then brought a new representative to the table with the Warriors late into the negotiation game, throwing the Dubs off balance, but not in a manner that made them susceptible to conceding.
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Barnes wanted control, but it was, in fact, the Warriors who controlled every aspect of the negotiation — they entered with a firm valuation, no fear of losing Barnes, and the threat of offsetting his rights to a team he might not want to play for in exchange for a better model.
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There’s no way Barnes fully understood how stacked the system was against him. Had he known, he and the Warriors would not be where they are today.
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The Harrison Barnes I met last year — the one who was sharp, insightful and funny, even when things weren’t going well (if all else failed, he could flash that $100 million smile) — that Barnes was not present Tuesday morning. The Harrison Barnes that answered questions Tuesday was sheepish, defeated.
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When he was asked about July’s negotiations and if he felt better positioned to get what he wanted then, Barnes only replied: “How much control do you really have?”
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(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @nba)
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