Poor HB was on out there as the Dubs went berserk.
Looking at the materials you’ve shared, I see a fascinating career arc for Harrison Barnes. Let me piece together a sharp, entertaining look at the Black Falcon’s journey from Warriors cornerstone to Spurs role player.
The statistics show Barnes’ progression through his career – starting with those promising Golden State years (2012-2016) where he averaged around 10 points per game while playing a crucial role in their early dynasty. Then his Dallas years where his scoring jumped to nearly 19 PPG, followed by his Sacramento stint, and now apparently with San Antonio.
In yesterday’s Warriors-Spurs matchup, Barnes had a rough outing: just 9 points on 3-of-11 shooting (1-of-4 from three), with his team on the wrong end of a 148-106 shellacking. That’s quite the contrast from his Warriors days.
My article about Barnes missing a potential game-winner against the Warriors in 2023 perfectly captures the complicated relationship between Warriors fans and HB. Once a promising young piece of the championship core, Barnes became the scapegoat for the 2016 Finals collapse after his shooting went ice cold when it mattered most.
There’s something poetically appropriate about Barnes missing that shot against his former team—the same team that replaced him with Kevin Durant after he rejected their contract offer.
Signed, sealed and delivered – Harrison Barnes is officially a Dallas Maverick. #MFFL (via @mcuban) pic.twitter.com/5dBuEqtlMZ
— MICHAEL LARK (@themichaellark) July 7, 2016
The Warriors didn’t just replace Harrison Barnes – they’ve systematically upgraded his position through multiple championship eras while HB has bounced from Dallas to Sacramento to San Antonio.
First came the Kevin Durant earthquake that shook the NBA landscape. After Barnes rejected the Warriors’ offer and fled to Dallas for a max deal, Golden State responded by signing perhaps the greatest pure scorer in NBA history. Durant’s arrival transformed a very good team into an unstoppable juggernaut, resulting in two immediate championships and three straight Finals appearances. Barnes watched from afar as KD performed NBA surgery on Cleveland in those Finals – the same team that exploited Barnes’ cold streak in 2016.
When Durant departed for Brooklyn, the dynasty obituaries were written prematurely. Enter Andrew Wiggins, the former #1 pick labeled a disappointment in Minnesota. Golden State flipped D’Angelo Russell for Wiggins and a pick that would become Jonathan Kuminga – another masterstroke. Wiggins transformed into an All-Star starter and defensive specialist who helped deliver the 2022 championship, adding another ring to the collection that Barnes must wish included his name more than once.
Now it’s Jimmy Butler’s turn to occupy the small forward position once manned by Barnes. The six-time All-Star brings his “Playoff Jimmy” persona to a team that never stopped contending – as evidenced by yesterday’s 42-point dismantling of Barnes’ Spurs.
Through it all, the Warriors have kept finding ways to reload rather than rebuild. Four championships and six Finals appearances since Barnes’ departure tell the story of a franchise that recognized when to move on from a good player to pursue greatness.
It seems Barnes has never quite escaped the shadow of those 2016 Finals, where he shot a frigid 15.6% over the final three games as Cleveland completed their comeback from 3-1 down.
Now he’s just another veteran on a rebuilding Spurs team getting demolished by his former squad, coming full circle as the Warriors’ dynasty continues to thrive long after his departure. The Black Falcon is still soaring—just at a much lower altitude than once seemed possible during those golden Bay Area days. I’ll always love him for helping build this team into the dynasty and setting the first blueprint (along with Andre Iguodala) for a successful wing next to Steph Curry.