Kings coach Mike Brown wants ‘irreplaceable’ veteran Harrison Barnes back next season
Kings coach Mike Brown called Harrison Barnes irreplaceable shortly before the NBA trade deadline in February. He did it again Thursday as the Kings prepared to face the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Barnes averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds over the first three games to help the Kings take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Warriors. He scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting with three 3-pointers in Thursday’s 114-97 loss with Game 4 set for Sunday.
Barnes is in the final year of a four-year, $85 million contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. This could be his last season in Sacramento, but Brown made it clear he wants Barnes to return while acknowledging that is a decision for Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox.
Barnes, 30, is in his fifth season with the Kings after coming to Sacramento in a February 2019 trade with the Dallas Mavericks. The veteran forward is one of the few players on the team with extensive playoff experience after winning an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015.
“He’s of the utmost importance to us, not just on the floor, not just late in ballgames, not just in ballgames, but even off the floor and as we go about our daily routines,” Brown said. “To watch him handle his routine and that type of stuff is extremely beneficial for all of us, especially including our young guys, so I truly believe he’s irreplaceable because of the things he brings off the floor as well as on the floor and his championship pedigree. We lean on him for a lot and we will continue to going forward.”
After referring to Barnes as irreplaceable, Brown was asked a follow-up question about bringing him back next season on a new contract.
“I’m not trying to be funny, but that’s what irreplaceable means. He’s irreplaceable,” Brown said. “Having said that, that’s Monte and Wes’ area. … There’s nobody, at the end of the day, who’s going to be forever and ever in this league and this organization, but HB definitely is a guy who has been a big, big part of what we’ve got going here, and I hope he’s a big, big, big part of what our future looks like.”
Barnes averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists this season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range. He was the fourth-leading scorer on a team that led the league in scoring (120.7 ppg) while recording the highest offensive rating (119.4) in NBA history.
Barnes has provided veteran leadership and perspective throughout the season. He’s doing the same now as the King go into Game 4 of their series against the defending NBA champions.
“No matter what, you have to understand that these guys aren’t going to lay down,” Barnes said. “They have a lot of pride. They’ve won championships, so no matter what the series is at, we have to compete at the same level.”
