Weeeeesley. It was Wesley Johnson’s fault that Matt Barnes was not reunited with Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Barnes who is know a member of the Sacramento kings, was hitting free agency this summer after spending one year with the Grizzlies, when Doc Rivers approached him to join the Clippers. It was because of Wesley Johnson that the deal didn’t transpire.
The Clippers signed Wesley Johnson to a deal worth $6.5 million a year, the same price tag Sacramento threw out to Barnes. After that, it was clear that the Clippers were not interested in a reunion. Barnes joined J.J. Redick on The Vertical Podcast to discuss how it went down:
“So at the beginning of free agency… doc and i talked, and he’s just like ‘you know what I really feel you can still help this team, there’s a spot here for you, and um you know what… let’s make this happen’. So you know I’m ecstatic.
“We we’re supposed to have dinner the Tuesday that free agency started, we we’re supposed to have dinner and um.. So I’m just thinking hey you know, Memphis is obviously interested, the Clippers are very interested, Golden State and Sacramento, and those were the 4 teams I was really thinking about. And Doc and I were supposed to go to dinner on a Tuesday and on Monday I saw that they signed Wesley Johnson and I’m thinking to myself…hm…ok… gonna be a little tight at the small forward position, but I’m all for competition. But after it settled in, I’m telling myself I’m not going to the Clippers. “
It would have been great to see Barnes toughness and grit be added to a team that has seemed to drop off in exactly that aspect. The Clippers could use some of Barnes charisma and on-court antics to determine some games, like they have in the past. Now, Barnes has a chance to create a new family with a team that knows toughness, grit and on-court antics far too well, the Sacramento Kings.
You can check out the full podcast here(Via The Vertical).
The incomparable @Matt_Barnes22 joins @JJRedick on @TheVertical Podcast. https://t.co/JYI5kTo3L5
— The Vertical (@TheVertical) September 19, 2016
