North Carolina Tar Heels: The Harrison Barnes dilemna
Free Agency should be a fun time for former North Carolina Tar Heels player Harrison Barnes except that he may not be able to return to Golden State.
Former North Carolina Tar Heels forward Harrison Barnes is in the midst of the NBA Finals right now. While a big question would be whether the Warriors will keep starting him (answer: yes, LeBron James shifts to the four with Kevin Love out) over Andre Iguodala, the bigger question for Barnes is what happens to him after the Finals end.
Barnes is a part of the best team in the league. His rookie contract is up and the NBA’s salary cap is rising big time. These things suggest that Barnes is about to come into big money, possibly max money. The problem is getting those things from the Warriors.
According to reports from Matt Moore at CBS Sports, Barnes wants to come back to Golden State. The problem is that he may not be their first choice if they have to pay out big bucks. The Warriors have already locked down Draymond Green and they are looking at spending max level money on Stephen Curry when he comes to free agency down the line.
More from North Carolina Tar Heels
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
- Four North Carolina players selected in first round of MLB Draft
- UNC Destroyed by Coach Duggs and Tennessee in NCAA Football 14
- UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel star calls out Roy Williams
Yet those decisions are the real problem behind Barnes’ fate. The real problem is the Kevin Durant lovefest that is about to break out this off season. Durant plays Barnes’ position and would eat up all the money the team would otherwise use to re-sign Barnes.
This means that if Barnes was to wait on the Warriors, he would also have to wait on Durant. In the meantime he is likely to get a better offer from some team looking for a small forward ‘3 and D’ type player that Barnes can provide.
More from Old North Banter
- Carolina Panthers: Secondary battles to watch in training camp 2020
- Carolina Panthers: 2020 training camp kicks off on Tuesday
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- Court alleges Zion’s Stepfather received $400k
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
Another problem with Barnes waiting on the Warriors would be that even if the team doesn’t get Durant, they may not want to pay whatever Barnes’ price has become. They may reason that they are the best option that Barnes has. If the 76ers want to pay him a max deal, then let them and Barnes can go lose for a couple of years.
One location Barnes will not end up in is Charlotte. The space he would occupy is held by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist right now. To acquire Barnes, the Hornets would have to trade MKG somewhere and even then the money might not work out for them if the team still hopes to re-sign Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin, Marvin Williams and/or Al Jefferson.
Next: Vegas Likes Heels to Win Coastal
So Barnes demonstrates the double edged sword that is free agency. It can be good for you, but you just might find yourself replaced.