Harrison Barnes knew he was on his way out once the season ended.
The Golden State Warriors had been rumored to jump in the race for Kevin Durant, and they were going to give it their best shot.
When Durant made his decision and announced that he would join the Warriors, Barnes knew his time in the Bay area was done.
He was due for a max contract, or money close to it and that wasn't a possibility with Durant coming aboard.
Barnes was the guy they would sign in the case Durant chose a different destination. Sometimes the business side of the NBA is harsh, but it would have been counter-productive for the Warriors to not at least try to sign him.
Barnes told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that staying after all things considered would have been an awkward situation.
“It would have been a little awkward. At a press conference if they would have been like, ‘Yeah, we really wanted him to come (back),' no one would really believe that. You know what I'm saying?
“How things went down, like I said, it's a business. It's not something you get emotionally hurt about or anything like that, but when you lose and they say,'Thank you, we're going to go in a different direction,' you take that and keep it moving.”
The Warriors have moved on, but so did Barnes. He signed a max deal worth $94 million with the Dallas Mavericks and started a new chapter in his career.
Wednesday night was his first game back in Oakland, and the fans met him with a standing ovation for what he had done there. Barnes ended the game with 25 points but his team left the arena with a loss.
In the end, the Warriors improved at the forward spot, and Barnes has his chance to rise to stardom and fulfill his potential.
The relationships between him and the rest of the players will always be there.
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