Harrison Barnes decided to take the Jimmy Butler route on betting on himself after Barnes turned down a 4-year $64 million contract last summer. In a world where DeMarre Carroll signs a $60 million deal, Barnes will feel obligated to seek out a max level contract for himself. With the Warriors already giving big contracts to their main stars, the money Barnes is seeking might not be available to him when the time comes in free agency.
Harrison Barnes’ name is attached to the Bulls organization in more ways than one. The list can go on-and-on, but for the sake of keeping it organized, Barnes has built a strong relationship with Doug McDermott and Fred Hoiberg from his hometown of Ames, Iowa. Never-mind the fact Fred Hoiberg was considered a hometown hero in Ames as he was given the nickname The Mayor. Doug McDermott admitted him and Barnes, who were high school teammates, both looked up to Fred Hoiberg like a superhero. Hoiberg’s mother-in-law was also Barnes’ grade school teacher. Never-mind the fact the Bulls front office have a long time loyalty to the citizens of Ames as they’ve repeatedly brought in personnel from that city. Whether it was Gar Forman, Tim Floyd, Fred Hoiberg, or Doug McDermott, the loyalty to Iowa never faltered. Not to mention, the Bulls pushed hard to trade up to the fifth pick in the 2012 draft to get their hands on Harrison Barnes.
The Warriors could not seal the deal on keeping Harrison Barnes last summer, and there is a good chance Barnes will listen to other teams that are offering a bigger paycheck. Barnes was considered to be a prime-time player in high school and college, but lost his identity on the star-studded Warriors.
If the Bulls let Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol walk this summer in free-agency, they’ll have roughly over $20 million to spend, which is enough to sign a max level player.
Barnes, age 23, is averaging 12.6 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and is shooting 40% from behind the arc in just 28.8 minutes per game this season. A stat-line that does not necessarily warrant a push for a max contract, but the small-forward’s potential is something the Bulls desperately could use moving forward.
