It’s only Day Two of the 2016 NBA free agency period, and the Dallas Mavericks are already close to entering into desperation spending mode.
According to a report by Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders on Saturday, the Mavericks are considering an offer sheet for Warriors restricted free agent forward Harrison Barnes, though nothing is imminent at the moment.
Hearing the Dallas Mavericks are thinking of extending an offer sheet to RFA Harrison Barnes. Nothing imminent, but it's been considered.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 2, 2016
The 24-year-old Barnes had a solid 2015-16 campaign for the 73-win Warriors as an essential member of their vaunted Death Lineup, averaging 11.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game before largely torpedoing his price point with a brutally bad performance in the NBA Finals.
Golden State seems likely to match any offer for Barnes, especially if they strike out in their pursuit of Kevin Durant. But Dallas has little left to lose by extending Barnes a max offer sheet. The Mavericks were already spurned by both of their top free agent targets in Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside and saw Chandler Parsons depart for Memphis to add insult to injury.
Barnes would be a younger, healthier version of Parsons for Dallas with more versatility as a defender (though slightly less prowess on the offensive end in terms of handling and creating his own shot). Given the importance of continuity and the picturesque fit of Barnes on the Golden State roster, the Warriors will probably still retain him. But don’t underestimate the power of a pissed-off Mark Cuban to throw everything into disarray.
H/T NBA Reddit
UPDATE: ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Mavericks will indeed sign Barnes to a full four-year max offer sheet upon the conclusion of the free agent moratorium period on July 7.
