Warriors general manager Bob Myers has made it clear the franchise has a strong desire to retain Harrison Barnes, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract.
It’s a very strong desire, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
The NBA champions have pitched a four-year, $64 million offer to Barnes, according to the report. That offer would put Barnes in the same neighborhood as All-Star guard Klay Thompson ($69 million, four years) and All-Defense first-teamer Draymond Green ($82 million, five years) – both of whom signed new deals over the past 11 months.
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The offer was not accepted, according to Yahoo, but provides a general idea of the numbers being negotiated. Barnes recently dumped agent Jeff Wechsler and last week signed with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports.
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A deal worth $16 million per season is more substantial that generally anticipated, as Barnes is thought to be somewhere between $13 million and $15 million. This is an indication that there will be no hometown discount.
Moreover, such a deal indicates the Warriors are highly committed to keeping together the core of the team.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors and the Barnes camp have until Oct. 31 to reach agreement. If no agreement is reached, the 23-year-old forward would become a restricted free agent next summer.
Barnes last season returned to the Warriors’ starting lineup and became a key component in the team’s record 67-win season that resulted in winning the NBA Finals. He averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds for the regular season.