3. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings (unrestricted)
There’s a chance that the Sacramento Kings can be real players in free agency this summer. However, for that to happen, they’d have to renounce all rights to impending free agents. If that were to happen, to give the Kings the opportunity to offer a big contract to an unrestricted free agent which they don’t have rights over, it would make it highly unlikely that the team would bring back Harrison Barnes,
With the chance that the Kings could look to make a big splash in free agency, likely for a younger or “better” option, that could end up coming at the expense of Barnes. That’s just a fact. It seems that the Kings are willing to sacrifice Barnes’ place on the roster to pursue a player like Kyle Kuzma or Draymond Green. If the right target presents itself, it’s easy to see why Sacramento would be willing to move on from Barnes.
Barnes has been a good player for the Kings, especially this past season in which the franchise made a huge jump in its progression. I don’t think anyone would be arguing against that. It just may be time for both sides to move on. And that’s just a part of the business in the NBA. At this point, a separation between the two sides should be expected.
Confidence meter: 75 percent