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One of the cool aspects of Golden State’s recent run of success is how warmly former Warriors are treated when they return to Oracle Arena.
Recent example: JaVale McGee, now in the employ of the Lakers, was cheered heartily as he was presented the championship ring he earned last season.
Count Harrison Barnes in that club. Barnes was selected by the Warriors with the seventh pick in the 2012 draft. In four seasons with the Dubs he steadily increased his minutes played and his scoring. He was a valuable member of the Warriors when, in 2015, they won their first NBA championship in 40 years.
After Golden State’s near-miss in 2016, Barnes availed his rights to free agency, scoring a four-year, $94.4 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks. I mean, who this side of Warren Buffett wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on that upgrade? Of course, there was a tradeoff. Barnes hasn’t played in a postseason game since leaving “the Town.”
Good, if quirky, news for those who remember Barnes fondly and miss watching him play: He was traded to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. He now plies his trade a doable drive away.
Weird how it went down, though. Barnes and the Mavericks were hosting the Charlotte Hornets. Barnes was having a quiet night — 10 points, a couple of 3s — when news of the trade broke. Barnes retired to the bench after the third quarter and watched his soon-to-be ex-teammates finish off a 99-93 win. But some of the NBA’s brighter lights were not amused.
“Traded this man while he was literally playing in the game and had ZERO idea,” LeBron James wrote on Instagram.
Said Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki, “He’s a better man than me, for sure. Everybody else would have bounced. He’s just a generally good dude. He’s obviously got bonds with some of these players here for life, and that’s the kind of guy that he is.”
That good dude can be found in Sacramento soon — if not for the Miami-Kings game Friday, then on Sunday when the Kings host the Suns.
Enjoy.
