Brooklyn Nets: Harrison Barnes would fit the culture in Brooklyn

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes has declined his player option and entered free agency. Barnes is a player who would fit the Brooklyn Nets’ culture

As the great Kyrie Irving–D’Angelo Russell debate continues to rage, another player has entered the free agency market that could be a potential fit for the Brooklyn Nets.

Every day that we inch closer to the NBA’s free agency is another day of new headlines and stories.

Earlier this week, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Harrison Barnes will decline his $25.1 million option with the Sacramento Kings for next season and hit unrestricted free agency.

Breaking: Harrison Barnes is declining his $25.1M player option to become an unrestricted free agent, via @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/Bv6EVhBIEz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 18, 2019

Barnes entering the fray really strengthens the free agent class. The Brooklyn Nets should do their due diligence and give him a look. Here are some reasons he would fit in with Brooklyn.

Professionalism

Harrison Barnes is a pro’s pro. There have been zero issues with him since he was drafted. No off-the-court issues, no problems with coaches, no problems with other teammates, nothing.

Even when doing segments on shows such as ESPN’s The Jump, he carried himself with a pristine professionalism. This is the kind of player that Brooklyn has built its culture with.

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And as general manager Sean Marks figures out what which of the many directions he wishes to take the organization, he’ll need players to uphold this culture he’s worked hard to craft.

This is especially key with us reports of us potentially missing out on one of the masons for the foundation of this culture in Russell.

Defensive versatility

Harrison Barnes is a capable and willing defender. During his stint with the Golden State Warriors, he was given the assignment of guarding the other teams first- and second-best players for large stretches.

His sneaky athleticism allows for him to defend point guards and shooting guards while his big frame and height give him the size and strength to cover most 3s and 4s. This is the direction the NBA is headed, players with no exact fit who can do a plethora of things.

Barnes being able to guard the 1 through 4 positions would be a great addition.

Offensive Versatility

Even though Harrison Barnes is naturally a 3, he can realistically play any position from shooting guard, small forward and power forward. This allows the Nets to get very creative with their lineups.

Do they go small ball with him at the 4? There he can space the floor, bringing bigs out. He also has the mismatch of breaking slower bigs down to either create space for a shot or blow by them for easy layups.

Do the Nets go big by putting Barnes at the 2? Here he can punish 2 guards in the post, causing doubles and freeing up the other shooters on the court. Kenny Atkinson can have a field day with the possibilities.

System Fit

The Brooklyn Nets are a 3-point shooting team. That’s what they like to do, so much to the point that sometimes they really do live and die by the 3. Barnes doesn’t hinder this play style.

It seems Harrison Barnes has rebounded well from his last NBA Finals appearance where he couldn’t buy a bucket from 3 (and even that season he shot 38 percent from 3).

Last season he basically shot 40 percent (39.5 percent overall) from 3. He shot 39 percent with the Dallas Mavericks (taking six 3s per game) and shot 41 percent in Sacramento (putting up a little more than four 3s per game).

He is a proven and consistent threat from 3 that the Nets can use.

Shot creating

Last year the Nets had plenty of shooters, but not too many shot creators. Because of this, when the team struggled from 3, there usually wasn’t anyone who could find buckets outside of taking catch-and-shoot jumpers.

If I had to list the team’s legitimate shot creators, it would be Russell first and foremost. Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie would close out this list.

And even with Spencer, as great as he is at drawing fouls or getting to the rim, he’s limited in the fact that he doesn’t take many mid-range attempts. Harrison Barnes to Brooklyn brings another tough shot maker who can create off the dribble for himself when the offense stalls.

As stated earlier, Barnes turned down $25.1 million for next season. He and his agent must feel as though there is a big market out there for him to recoup that money and or get added security. The market won’t likely bear that out.

But a multi-year contract in the $14 million to $18 million range per season, with the established core and with the Nets probably bringing in Kyrie, is doable — if Kyrie can take slightly less than the $32.7 million max and D-Lo can come back for around $20 million a year.

For doubters, when Harrison was a young player, he was pretty much the third-scoring option for that championship Warriors team in 2015.

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Harrison Barnes is a player who brings championship experience, 3-point shooting, defense, high-character professionalism and a good work ethic. He’d be a great fit.

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