Official 2016 Free Agency Thread

Yeah more than likely Barnes is staying. The best move for the Warriors is to keep their team intact. There's no need to shuffle their 73 win roster.

 

From what I'm seeing his per 36 stats have been consistent the last few years. He played PF full time this year due to Bosh's absence and Winslow's emergence. I'd say he still has a good 3 years left in him.

 

No to Barnes.

 

people might be surprised to find deng's pricetag not far off from barnes'. maybe a shorter deal, but big injury risk given deng's age and mileage (he's played a ton of minutes over the years).

anyway, 2 years, 20 million was deng's pricetag, pre-cap explosion. if it's deng at 15 for 2 years or barnes at 20 for 4 years, give me the latter. remember that extensions will kick in for randle and russell and clarkson's deal will balloon soon as well. the lakers are on the clock to add either impact players or tradeable assets using their ample cap space. a productive 23 year old who has started at a position of need for back-to-back title teams under our new coach is sort of...right on. and his ability to shift to smallball 4 on occasion would leave plenty of minutes for ingram to develop. by the time ingram's there, barnes' deal will be almost up.

 

Last 5 years

2011-12 (Age 26) 14.0 pts 5.9 reb 2.7 ast 0.9 stl 0.6 blk 1.6 tov 41.2 fg% 36.7 3p%
2012-13 (Age 27) 15.3 pts 5.9 reb 2.8 ast 1.0 stl 0.4 blk 1.8 tov 42.6 fg% 32.2 3p%
2013-14 (Age 28) 16.4 pts 5.9 reb 3.0 ast 1.0 stl 0.1 blk 1.9 tov 43.1 fg% 30.2 3p%
2014-15 (Age 29) 15.0 pts 5.6 reb 2.1 ast 1.0 stl 0.3 blk 1.6 tov 46.9 fg% 35.5 3p%
2015-16 (Age 30) 13.7 pts 6.7 reb 2.1 ast 1.0 stl 0.4 blk 1.2 tov 45.5 fg% 34.4 3p%

Yes, his points are slightly down, but his shooting efficiency has gone up quite a bit. I also see his turnovers have gone down. Everything else is consistent.

I don't see a declining player. I see a smarter player that's willing to fit into a system and accept playing his role. I'd sign him for 4 years without hesitation.

 

I'd be pretty content with Deng to be honest. I agree with you. I think he's got a good bit left in the tank and he's another veteran presence in the locker room.

 

I'm all in on Harrison Barnes. He's younger than CLARKSON but he's bringing 4 years of playoff experience, with 2 finals appearances, plus having to play on a team that came back from down 3-1....in other words....he's an EXPERIENCED 23 year old which is something most players can't boast.

Also, like others said...Barnes ability to go small ball 4 will allow Ingram to develop nicely

 

Barnes' age is actually what makes me prefer Deng. There's too many immature kids on this roster and we need a true professional vet to show them the ropes. Deng and Barnes are similar players on paper, and both can play the small ball 4, but I think Deng fits in a bit better due to his ability to create his own shot.

 

I'm on the Barnes train. The potential logjam at small forward will work itself out. Heck, as of today, we have ZERO small forwards I'd feel confident starting on opening night. I remember Eddie Jones and Kobe both playing the two at one point back in the late 90's. I think it made them both better players because they had to push themselves and each other. I'm all for accumulating as many talented pieces as possible.

 

My take is that both aren't worth $20+ million for 4 years. However, Deng, given his age, would probably be willing to:
1. Take a shorter contract (20 for 2 years with team option for 3rd)
2. Take a longer contract for security (12-15 for 4 years)

Barnes undoubtedly will get offered the max by someone, and would probably get matched by the Warriors. You have a good point regarding his maturity and familiarity with the offense, but it's not worth wasting our time on a highly coveted RFA anyway.

 

Ariza was valued as a MLE player waaaay back when his shot was still inconsistent and his potential was still questionable. And his 32/4 contract (48/4 in today's CBA) was based on the Cinderella effect he displayed in the playoffs. In reality he wasn't quite ready to take a bigger role.

Fast-forward to today and he's a reliable shooter. He's worth the same as Deng imo. I would love to have him back.

 

i'm not sure gs matches a max or near it. they have iggy and probably feel like a brandon rush type could help fill in. moreover, iggy and bogut come off the next year, i believe, which would leave them with max room for a shot at a major FA to add to a championship core. i don't think i'd want a big contract to barnes (or ezeli) mucking that up.

so the natural question in response would be: why would the lakers do that then? and my response would be: because the lakers currently have jack squat. houston superstar chased for a while, then settled on james harden. as much as i hate harden, that worked out really well for them. at the time, folks thought they were pinning the hopes of the franchise on a sixth man. two years later, there was hand-wringing about him not getting the mvp. i think of barnes as a smaller version of this. smaller in that he hasn't produced like harden (though his team has been better) and doesn't have the upside. but also smaller in that the lakers are giving up nothing to get him.

as far as wrapping up cash in a sought-after RFA: this is the point of having crazy cap space--you can make that offer AND make one or two other offers simultaneously.

all that said, i'm not anti-deng. i just don't think he'll come cheap, either. and if we're talking 25-30% salary difference, give me the young guy with both experience and room to grow (and a familiarity with the new coach).