The Golden State Warriors and their initial offer of a four-year, $64 million contract extension were reportedly rebuffed by forward Harrison Barnes.
Barnes, 23, recently parted ways with his agent and evidently believes he can get a deal that pays more than $16 million per season.
The Dubs face an Oct.31 rookie extension deadline with the athletic wing.
Per Yahoo! Sports:
The Warriors are trying to prevent Barnes from reaching restricted free agency in July 2016, when a rising salary cap and scores of teams with financial flexibility will couple with Barnes’ burgeoning talent and potential to make him a significant target on the market.
As a member of the 2012 NBA draft class, Barnes is eligible for his rookie contract extension. Without an agreement by Oct. 31, Barnes would become a restricted free agent next summer. Golden State would be able to match any offer sheet for Barnes and re-sign him.
The offer of $16 million per year annually – comparable to teammate Draymond Green’s five-year, $82.5 million extension this summer – had been negotiated by Barnes’ former agent, Jeff Wechsler. After that initial offer, Wechsler countered with a figure north of $16 million annually before he and Barnes parted ways, league sources said. Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports is representing Barnes now.
