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Dallas Mavericks: Harrison Barnes opts out of contract, seeking max deal

By Kohl Rast

SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 7: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings attempts a free-throw shot against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 7, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 7: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings attempts a free-throw shot against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 7, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Former Dallas Mavericks forward, Harrison Barnes, has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract worth $25 million. He will enter unrestricted free agency on June 30th.

The Dallas Mavericks must have done a good job of showing Harrison Barnes his worth over the past few seasons. Maybe they did just a little bit too good of a job. Barnes has decided to decline his player option on the final year of his deal, instead choosing to enter unrestricted free agency. He is intent on finding a max contract offer.

Harrison Barnes got a pretty hefty contract offer from the Mavs a few years back that was enough for the Golden State Warriors to decide to go a different direction (oh and adding Kevin Durant didn’t hurt either). The Mavs and Barnes agreed to a 4-year, $94 million contract prior to the 2016-17 season. The fourth year, obviously, had a player option attached to it.

HB was set to make $25 million in the final year of his contract with Sacramento. This contract was viewed by most as an overpay as Barnes is not built to be the number one or number two option on a championship level team. $25 mil for your third or fourth star is a lot of money.

Despite all of this understanding, Barnes may have taken a misstep towards his next contract by opting out. Many believe that he and Sacramento are still going to reach a deal, but the Kings front office is going to recognize that the market on Barnes is not that high. There is a good chance that HB ends up with more years, but a much lower yearly average.

I was a big fan of Harrison Barnes while he was here. I think there were some great moments had by the former North Carolina man, but the big contract weighed down upon him and his time in Dallas. Some people were unable to get over the fact that we were paying for a role player instead of a star.

At that time, though, the franchise needed someone who could give the Mavs a little bit of hope every once and awhile. Barnes was good at this, because even though he was never the big star, he had moments where he was really, really good. His flashes of brilliance were not the norm, unfortunately and the eventual trade by the Mavs was viewed favorably from the fan perspective.

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Mavs fans should not look at Barnes time in Dallas as a waste, but as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. If HB gets a big contract from someone, we will be happy for the guy. And there will always be cheers from the American Airlines Center when Barnes comes back to visit. That is something that Dallas owes to the guy at the very least.