‘Whatta Man:’ Mavericks miss Harrison Barnes, but he’s embracing future in Sacramento
Everywhere he turned, people kept asking Harrison Barnes to look back on his years in Dallas, but Barnes seemed more interested in looking forward to a promising future in Sacramento.
Barnes was in Dallas on Tuesday night to face the Mavericks for the first time since they traded him to the Kings. The video tribute, the standing ovation and the throng of reporters surrounding his locker were nice reminders of the time they spent together, but it was clear Barnes had moved on following the Kings’ 125-121 victory over the Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
“It was a lot of love, getting that tribute video,” said Barnes, who scored 18 points. “Obviously, the fans here, we had some long seasons, but they came out every night and made it super special, and yeah, it feels good to come back and get a win.”
The 90-second tribute to Barnes aired on the giant video board above the floor during a first-quarter timeout. It featured footage of Barnes on and off the court, shooting, scoring, laughing, smiling, engaging in community outreach events and high-fiving kids, all set to the song “Whatta Man” by Salt-N-Pepa.
“I thought it was great,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He deserves a warm reception. ... He’s in a good situation, and I’m happy for him. I wish we still had him. He’s a hell of a player, but business is business and he’ll do great there.”
Barnes glanced up at the video board and waved to the crowd as fans rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation. It was a nice moment and a classy move by the Mavericks, but Barnes is Sacramento’s man now.
The Kings acquired the 26-year-old small forward on the eve of the trade deadline in a deal that sent Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph to Dallas. In his first 20 games with the Kings, Barnes averaged 15.1 points, shot 40 percent from 3-point range, played lock-down defense on some of the game’s most prodigious scorers and provided intangible benefits with his leadership, experience, poise and versatility.
“He’s a guy who can go in the post and score (or) isolate on the perimeter, especially at the elbows,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “I like having him being able to see where everybody is, make an open 3 and defend some of the bigger (small forwards) in our league. And, obviously, he’s a very professional guy, a high-character guy and a terrific guy, and a fun guy to coach every day.”
Barnes seems to be having fun, too.
The Kings brought him in to make a playoff push. Maybe they were always destined to come up short in their quest to end the NBA’s longest postseason drought, but Barnes, who won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, sees tremendous potential in this young Kings team.
He sees it in De’Aaron Fox, who drove to the hoop, drew fouls and knocked down his free throws to close out the Mavericks. He sees it in Buddy Hield, who made two clutch 3-pointers to give the Kings a late lead after they trailed by eight with 4:40 to play. He sees it in Bogdan Bogdanovic. He sees it in rookie big men Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles III.
“The potential is crazy,” Barnes said. “To see these guys in their first, second year — just kind of playing with so much heart, so much passion, definitely eager to learn — I’m excited to be with this group (and) compete alongside these guys.
“We’re looking at next year. This year, obviously, things came together late with the roster and that type of stuff, but we’re competing. We’re battling. Every single time we step on the floor, that’s another time that, hopefully, we’re progressing in the right direction and building something.”
Barnes has a player option for $25.1 million on the final year of his contract next season. The Kings will likely try to negotiate a long-term extension this summer, and Barnes didn’t sound eager to leave when a Dallas reporter asked about his new life in Sacramento.
“It’s been great,” he said. “The community, they show a lot of love. I remember my first game in Sac against Miami. The atmosphere was like a playoff atmosphere. People were so passionate about the game of basketball, so into the game. Obviously, I was always on the opposing side, so now to be on the home team, it’s great to receive that love and I’m definitely looking forward to my wife and I getting involved in the community there.”
What a mighty good man.
This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 3:26 AM.