Harrison Barnes extension takes Kings out of free agency

The Kings have extended Harrison Barnes to a $54 million dollar deal over the next three years, essentially taking Sacramento out of free agency.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings are signing Harrison Barnes for a $54 million contract over the next three years. This report seems to take the Kings out of the Kyle Kuzma sweepstakes because they do not have enough cap space.

Barnes is a very solid wing in this league but he isn’t an offensive creator. This limits the Kings‘ movement and further shows that they are investing in their core. The contract is very solid as it is $18 million per year.

While this might seem like a slight underpay, this extension is more in line with the upcoming CBA which significantly harms teams who are over the second apron of the luxury tax. This allows the Kings who are a small market team to keep their starting wing in the new CBA world of the NBA.

Why did the Kings extend Harrison Barnes instead of signing Kyle Kuzma?

Likely, the Rockets are now in first place for Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma would have been really fun on this Kings team if they were able to sign him. He would have fit perfectly as a starting wing.

Still, Barnes is a solid good player, but he can’t create his offense. It kinda makes the salary dump trade involving Richaun Holmes that they made at the draft very dumb.

While I am still a believer in the fact that Holmes can play adequate minutes for a team that is even heading to the playoffs, his contract is very bad for a bench warmer. With the Kings, Holmes would have been a bench warmer this season. It seemed like the Kings had a higher ceiling after they made a trade to clear cap space.

They will most likely need to re-negotiate Domantas Sabonis to a four-year deal worth $120 million. They will still be able to make one more move using their mid-level exception but this roster is most set going forward.