Wow,thats something, according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors offered Barnes a four-year, $64 million extension, which Barnes turned down.
Though the two sides have until October 31 to come to an agreement, it looks like Barnes is trying to hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2016.
This a bold move by Barnes,
turning down a generous offer from the Warriors. Though Barnes is young
and talented, he's arguably not one of the Warriors' top five players,
yet would have made more than Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre
Iguodala, and Andrew Bogut.
At 23 years old, with career averages of
9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds on 44% shooting and 37% from the three-point
line, he's turning down his first real shot at a huge contract — and it
might pay off.
In 2016, the NBA's salary cap
will rise from $70 million to a projected $89 million. Suddenly, a
majority of teams will have a ton of cap space, and with a relatively
weak free agent class, those available free agents are going to get
paid.
This is why someone like Barnes
is suddenly confident enough to turn down $16 million per season. This
is the same reason why Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson is comfortable demanding a max. salary.
If he doesn't get it this year, he can play out the season on the $6.8
million qualifying offer, and then hit unrestricted free agency next
year for another shot at it when teams have money to spend.
However, this route presents a
huge gamble for players. Barnes and Thompson could have locked up $64
million and $80 million, respectively, and be set for years. Instead,
they're betting on their health and performance over the course of one
season, hoping to cash in on good contract years.
One injury could undo all of it. Players always risk this in contract years, but it becomes even more magnified when they've turned down huge extensions beforehand.
This is the new landscape of the
NBA. The max. players and All-Stars will still get their money, but
when they're off the market, players like Barnes and Thompson will look
like geniuses when they land contracts that pay $20 million per season.
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