Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle shared his thoughts on the recent trade which sent Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings.

News broke out about the Barnes-trade while Mavericks were playing against the Charlotte Hornets. Carlisle shared that he learned about the deal during the game itself. In addition, he shared what he said to Barnes in their final exchange as player-coach.

Per Brice Paterik of Mavs Moneyball, Carlisle said:

“Thanked him for over two and a half great years of being a model pro and being one of the most improved players in the game. I'm going to miss him an awful lot. But I believe he's going to have a great situation where he's going. And we'll just move forward from here.”

Prior to inking a four-year, $94 million contract with the Mavericks, Barnes spent four years with the Golden State Warriors where he won a championship. He was also part of the historic 73-win season of the Warriors.

In his first year in Dallas, his average improved to 19.2 points per game from 11.7 points per game in his last year with the Warriors. This improvement quickly turned the forward into the team's go-to offensive guy.

Meanwhile, the Kings, Barnes' new team, has expressed their desire to keep him in for the long term.

The 26-year-old has a player option worth $25 million for the 2019-2020 season.