Lakers linked to $54 million ex-Warriors NBA champion forward replaced by Kevin Durant originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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It would be in the Los Angeles Lakers’ best interest to get younger at key positions this summer.
However, if the Lakers express interest in adding older, more experienced veterans to their roster, The Athletic’s Zach Harper thinks a former Golden State Warriors NBA champion who was replaced by Kevin Durant in the Bay 10 years ago could be a serviceable option.
“You can maybe get a significant player or two at $28 million,” Harper wrote Thursday. “If we’re looking at wings and big men on the market, here are some players who are out there: Wings/forwards:John Collins, Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, Harrison Barnes, Simone Fontecchio, Bruce Brown.”
Being part of a Warriors squad that squandered a comfortable 3-1 NBA Finals deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers was the worst thing that could have happened to Barnes and his future with Golden State.
How so? It led the Warriors to seek outside help to capture multiple championships during Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s primes.
The Dubs landed on future Hall of Fame Kevin Durant (who failed to help the Oklahoma City Thunder close out Golden State in that season’s Western Conference Finals), prompting Barnes to take his talents to the Dallas Mavericks via a four-year, $94 million contract.
Since leaving the Warriors, Barnes has proven to be a valuable three-and-D rotational piece who’s undoubtedly more confident in his abilities on both ends than he was when he started his career with Golden State.
The North Carolina product averaged 9.9 points per game with the San Antonio Spurs this past season, connecting on 45.6% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc.
Although the Lakers could search for a more youthful wing with a similar skill set to Barnes, the 6-foot-7 forward has more than enough game to strike the Los Angeles’ interest.
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