NBA free agency: One move every team should avoid
By John Buhler
Charlotte Hornets: Overspend to sign SF Harrison Barnes.
Unlike Biyombo with the Raptors, if there was one player in the 2016 NBA Playoffs that hurt his free agency stock the most, it was Golden State Warriors starting small forward Harrison Barnes. Barnes will be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning that Golden State can match any offer he receives and bring him back on a new deal.
With Golden State reportedly targeting Durant, coupled with Barnes’ inability to show up in big games, Golden State just might have to let its 2012 first round pick walk in 2016 NBA free agency. Though he is a strong outside shooter and has the necessary size to defend wings and stretch fours, is Barnes really worth a maximum contract?
If there is any team that would be willing to overspend to sign Barnes this summer, it’s the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte may not be able to contain itself and sign the former North Carolina Tar Heel. The Hornets have done it before and will do it again, for two reasons: owner Michael Jordan loves players from his alma mater and so do the many Charlotteans that pack Time Warner Cable Arena for Hornets games.
It seems silly, but the Hornets might end up wasting a ton of money when they could just keep star small forward Nicolas Batum for the foreseeable future. Batum was outstanding for the 2015-16 Hornets after a down year with the 2014-15 Portland Trail Blazers.
Batum offers more bang for your buck than Barnes. Last season, Batum proved that he can be the best player on the floor for a playoff-caliber team. Barnes tended to play his best games for the Warriors in garbage time, when either Golden State was getting crushed or the game was sealed in Golden State’s favor at half time.
Barnes never really proved that he could be a true difference maker while with the Warriors, as maybe their fifth best player at any given time. While signing Barnes isn’t a bad move for the Hornets, overspending on him is. To bring him back to North Carolina, overspending seems like a necessity.
Next: Chicago Bulls.