Warriors' Barnes on future: 'Of course I'd love to keep this group together'
When it comes to Harrison Barnes' immediate NBA future, there are three possibilities.
Barnes and the Golden State Warriors can agree to an extension before the Oct. 31 deadline; Barnes can become a restricted free agent next summer if they don't come to an agreement in time; or, in a rare possibility previously tested by Greg Monroe, Barnes can sign a one-year qualifying offer for 2016-17, then become an unrestricted free agent two years from now.
All Barnes knows right now is that he wants to be a Warrior for a long while.
"I mean, we just won a championship," Barnes told the San Jose Mercury News' Diamond Leung. "Of course I'd love to keep this group together for many years to come, you know what I'm saying? So that's obvious."
Barnes also noted team owner Joe Lacob's commitment to keeping the championship core intact. "Worrying about the contract and all that kind of stuff, it'll work out," he said. "I'm not really too concerned about how it's going to shake out."
For what it's worth, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut, and Draymond Green are all under contract through at least 2017, with Thompson and Green signing long-term extensions over the last nine months.
After stagnating - if not regressing - in his sophomore season, Barnes rebounded with a career year in 2014-15, averaging 10.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while reclaiming the starting small forward spot from Iguodala.
Barnes, who knocked down 40 percent of his 3-point attempts in his third season, knows he can sharpen various aspects of his game.
"One thing coach (Steve) Kerr and I talked about at the end of the season was just how can I get better in the spots I was used last year," Barnes said. "Post game, ball handling more, bringing the ball up in transition and pushing, getting it to shooters, that type of thing. There's a lot of obvious areas for growth and improvement, and this is a conducive system for that."
Potential areas of improvement can often be lost in the immediate aftermath of championship celebrations, but as Barnes reminds us of Golden State's first triumph in 40 years, "the goal is to do it again."
Playing for your first big contract doesn't temper motivation, either.