Kevin Durant made what was the biggest free agency decision since LeBron James announcing that he’s going to Miami, and now the Dallas Mavericks are looking to pry both Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut away from the Warriors.
Barnes is most likely going be offered a four-year, $94 million deal since the Mavericks were unable to land Durant, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. As if one former champion weren’t enough, Stein also reported that Dallas has “emerged as a strong potential trade destination” for the 31-year-old Austrailian.
It was expected that Barnes would’ve been offered a max contract from someone, but the Warriors’ decision to put Bogut on the trading block was a surprising one. The Dubs’ became “frustrated” with Bogut largely because of his lack of production and unreliability. He’s coming off a season where he averaged 5.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in just 20.7 minutes per game, and Bogut’s role with the Warriors has diminished over time. The seven-footer struggles with staying out of foul trouble and is very injury prone, effectively canceling out his benefits as a rim protector, shot blocker, and rebounder late in the game.
Barnes, however, would be a great signing for the Mavericks. Much like Bogut, Barnes had a limited role but was reliable throughout the regular season because of his improved shooting and natural slashing ability. Despite appearing in just 66 games this year, Barnes averaged a career-high 11.7 points and knocked down 38 percent of his threes, and this was the first time he’s missed more than four games in a season. Having a bigger role in the offense would do great things for Barnes since he’s made noticeable improvements after coming into the league four years ago.
He also has good size at 6-8 and outstanding athleticism, allowing him to match up with multiple positions; he was a major player in Golden State’s death lineup that terrorized many of the NBA’s team.
