The next few days, and possibly weeks, will be very trying for Golden State Warriors small forward, Harrison Barnes. After struggling immensely with his jumper in the NBA Finals, Barnes' stock on the free agent market seems to have fallen sharply, even if that's not necessarily fair given how small the sample size is.
Concerns with Barnes existed previously with regards to other teams looking at him as an option in free agency, of course; Barnes benefits immensely from both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson driving into the paint before kicking out the ball to him for wide open jumpshots. Those same looks probably won't come on another team.
On a more positive note, Barnes is one of the most versatile defenders on the market, with the ability to guard shooting guards as well as power forwards at a proficient rate, when needed.
The Warriors would like to have Barnes back, and as a restricted free agent, they can get him as long as they match whatever other teams offer. If somebody is willing to pay Barnes the max though, they could let him walk, especially when their focus is on trying to reel in Kevin Durant for the time being.
If Golden State does let him go, a surprising candidate has emerged to sign Barnes.
Given how many missing pieces the Philadelphia 76ers currently have, it's pretty surprising to hear their name in rumors connected to Barnes. It does make sense when you consider that none of the regular contributors on the Sixers roster have won much, or really at all, at the professional level, whereas Barnes was just a part of the winningest regular season team in NBA history.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out; I'm not sure if any player will have experienced such a dramatic drop off in terms of the talent of their teammates if Barnes does end up going from Golden State to Philly.
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