Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st, will be pursued by many teams this summer.
Aside from his current Warriors team, the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics intend on chasing Barnes, as previously reported. Golden State will likely match any offers made towards Harrison Barnes.
Recently, Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe tweeted an interesting post, confirming his interest in wanting the team to sign Barnes this July:
Last summer, the Suns put the full court press on trying to sign LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency. Despite finishing as the top suitor outside of San Antonio, the Suns ultimately lost the race when Aldridge decided to sign with the Spurs.
This time around, the Suns hope to be successful in landing top-tier players. Bledsoe, who missed much of the season due to injury, hopes his team can get back on track next season. The Suns, who signaled the beginning of a new era by hiring new head coach Earl Watson last month, will challenge the Warriors for Barnes’ services. The signing of Harrison Barnes and a healthy combination of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe could potentially be a Playoff-bound team next season.
Another option for the Suns (not named Kevin Durant) is a reunion with Heat free agent Gerald Green, who will likely join a different team this off-season. This route would be much less costly. Plus, Green would help round out a Phoenix bench that was lackluster for much of the season.
As for Harrison Barnes, he is expected to receive a contract worth $20M+ per season this summer. The Warriors still hope to retain Barnes, but would honor his request of leaving the team if that situation arose. The choice is theirs: Give Harrison Barnes a max or near-maximum contract, or let him walk to another team.
The Suns would welcome him with open arms.
