Harrison Barnes Warriors struggle with extension t

Harrison Barnes and the Warriors cannot agree on a contract extension because they cannot agree on the future.Barnes knows he will be a free agent at exactly the right time. With the leagues cap getting a huge lift withthe new television contract, teams around the NBA will be flush with money without an accompanying supply of quality players. After all, only one franchise can Colorado Avalanche Jersey sign Kevin Durant. Reasonably, Barnescan expect some team desperate for a young differencemaker to offer him the maximum they are allowed: $89 million over four years.MORE: | |Reasonable expectations and certainty are not Adam Foote Jersey the same thing, however. Barnes has not established himself as a player worthy of a maximum offer sheet yet, the way 2012 NBA Draft cla smates Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard have. A disappointing season would reinforce the opinions of those who see him more as a useful complementary player than a key factor on a playoff team.That leaves Barnes with the options of betting on himself or taking le s money now, while still getting enough to set him for life financially. That said, the greater the difference between an extension Andreas Martinsen Jersey offer and Barnes contract expectations, the easier it gets to say no.The Warriors have competing interests as well. NBA teams are bound by cap holds, placeholders for free agents who have yet to sign new contracts, that are based on previous salary.Since Barnes and Festus Ezeli will be coming off cheap rookie-scale contracts, each has a lower cap hold then their expected 2016-17 salary. Barnes has a cap hold of about $9.68 million, le s than half his $20.9 million max salary.The importance of that gap comes as the Warriors approach free agency next season. If Barnes signs now, the Warriors may not have enough flexibility to add a top-tier free agent and they are viewed as a potential X-factor in the Kevin Durant hunt that will dominate next offseason. That provides the team with a reason to allow Barnes to wait, even Rene Bourque Jersey if it means he can increase his value further.Barnes value to the Warriors remains unclear, but he took a major step last season. He easily bested his career highs in shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent on 3-pointers Matt Duchene Jersey , while also setting career highs with 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. That modest production could be greatly increased on a team with fewer weapons.The potential of a trade looms large over these negotiations as well. Extending Harrison Barnes before Nov. 2 makes him incredibly hard to trade during the season because of a nuance in the NBAs collective bargaining agreement. Since Barnes extension would not kick in until the league year changes over in July 2016, league rules dictate his salary for calculating the trade is the average of his entire remaining contract, both the final year on the cheap rookie scale deal and the new extension. However, Patrick Roy Jersey that calculation only applies to the acquiring team the Warriors still have to treat it at his $3.87 million salary. Since the acquiring team average is so much larger, only a team with lots of salary cap space makes sense as a trading Mikko Rantanen Jersey partner in-season.MORE: However, that limitation only makes things difficult if the Warriors intend to trade Barnes now. If they want to play out this season with him either way, the best move is to sign him to a fair extension now. If they let him hit restricted free agency, they will not be able to get a fair value in a sign-and-trade and risk letting him leave for nothing if he gets an offer they do not want to match. In restricted free agency, a player holds control on where he ends up, while if the Warriors give him an extension now, they can send him to any team with the best offer.The summer of 2017 plays a role in these negotiations as well. That is when NBA MVP point guard Stephen Curry finally gets a new contract, and the Warriors could use his lower cap hold to add Paul Kariya Jersey another piece. With talented players such as Serge Ibaka, Ru sell Westbrook and Blake Griffin hitting unrestricted free agency, Golden State could make another push for a difference-maker if they have enough flexibility.If current salary cap estimates hold, the Warriors could add sign someone like Ibaka using cap space if they spend le s than $30 million on players other than Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and recent draft choices. That could be enough for Barnes and Ezeli depending on what they choose to do Carl Soderberg Jersey .One other dynamic worth considering at least briefly is that the four-year, $64 million contract that Harrison Barnes reportedly turned down earlier this month would already be more lucrative perseason than Thompson and Green, who recently signed their own second NBA contracts. While this Warriors team has excellent chemistry and continuity, money can change those dynamics.As the reigning champions and expected title contender for years to John Wensink Jersey come, the Warriors have quite a bit riding on their personnel moves in the near future, and Barnes has a major part to play in that story.