The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA for the second consecutive season. Their 40-4 record speaks for itself and the only competition standing in their way is the San Antonio Spurs. Head coach Steve Kerr has returned to the bench, and now that the Warriors are at full strength, all should be well for the team.
But looming over the horizon is the summer of 2016. With the cap set to increase because of the new television deal, players are going to be asking for more money. Harrison Barnes is one of those players who is set to be a free agent (restricted) at the end of this season.
Barnes already turned down a generous offer from the Warriors this preseason. He wants to gamble on himself just like many other players decide to do, but rarely does that work. Just this past offseason, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith wanted more money than what the Cleveland Cavaliers were giving them. Unfortunately for them, they both returned to the team with deals that were less than ideal.
Additionally, Barnes is playing with one of the best players in the league. Stephen Curry is arguably the greatest three-point shooter of all time who is one of the best dribblers in the league, yet he is the fifth-highest paid player on his team. After next season, Curry will be an unrestricted free agent. Anthony Davis recently signed the largest extension in NBA history (will kick in starting next season). Since Curry is better than Davis, it only makes sense that he demand more money.
Barnes is averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent from the three-point line, and he is also an above average defender. Being a two-way player is very valuable in this league, and Barnes is worth a salary that would pay him eight figures over the next five or six years.
But unless Barnes decides to reconsider and sign for much less than he is worth, the Warriors organization should trade him before they have a financial problem on their hands. Barnes is not more valuable than the Warriors franchise as a whole.
