Sacramento Kings’ small forward Harrison Barnes decided to decline his player option and will become an unrestricted free agent come July. Barnes was set to earn $25.1 million in the 2019/20 season.
The news was confirmed to ESPN by Barnes’ agent Jeff Schwartz, who said that his client will pursue a long-term deal. The 27-year-old will listen to offers from other teams, but he is open to staying in Sacramento, especially after a successful second part of the season with the organization.
Harrison Barnes joined the Kings in February from the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson going in the opposite direction. He played 28 games in Sacramento averaging 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Barnes spent the first four years of his career with the Golden State Warriors, who took him 7th overall in 2012 NBA Draft. He won the NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and the NBA Championship with the Warriors, before leaving the team to make room for Kevin Durant.
After several teams pursued him during the summer of 2016, Barnes ended up agreeing to a four-year, $94 million contract with the Mavericks. He managed to put up career numbers in Dallas which included averaging 18.6 points per game during two and a half seasons with the team.
