The Golden State Warriors are not wasting any time with the Kevin Durant injury hot on their plate. The team has agreed to sign forward Matt Barnes according to ESPN. Barnes also tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that he will sign for the rest of the year as opposed to a 10-day deal.
Barnes also made the announcement on his Instagram and appears very happy to be back in the bay. He played with the Warriors from 2006-2008 and was part for the team that shockingly beat the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007. Barnes tells The Undefeated’s Marcus J. Spears “It’s a dream come true” to be back with Golden State.
"It's a dream come true! I feel like I helped start something in '07 & now I'm coming back to help finish it,"Matt Barnes on Warriors return
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) March 1, 2017
Barnes was cut by the Sacramento Kings after the DeMarcus Cousins trade, despite still being owed $6.5 million next season. He figures to get a decent amount of minutes with the Warriors in Durant’s absence. In order to get Barnes, the Warriors will be releasing recent free-agent pickup Jose Calderon according to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chris Haynes. The Warriors, out of respect for the situation, will still sign Calderon and then waive him, ensuring he still gets paid from Golden State.
Sources tell Haynes and me that the Warriors plan to sign Jose Calderon as they promised but then waive him to make room for Matt Barnes.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 1, 2017
The team officially announced the Matt Barnes signing.
OFFICIAL: Warriors sign veteran forward Matt Barnes to contract. He will be in uniform for tonight's game in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/08Zx79hDji
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 2, 2017
