Warriors extend qualifying offers to Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli
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The Golden State Warriors have extended qualifying offers to forward Harrison Barnes and center Festus Ezeli, making them restricted free agents and retaining the rights to match offers they receive from other teams.
Guard Ian Clark and forward James Michael McAdoo did not receive qualifying offers, allowing them to become unrestricted free agents on Friday.
Barnes, 24, was the Warriors’ No. 7 pick in the 2012 NBA draft and he has averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his four seasons with the team. The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to make a serious push to sign Barnes, but the Warriors have made keeping him a top priority, ESPN reports.
The Warriors would also like to keep Ezeli, 26, who set career highs last season with an average of 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. However, his status with the team will likely be decided by whether Golden State is able to sign Kevin Durant, ESPN reports.
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Clark, 25, appeared in 66 games in his first season with the Warriors, making one start and averaging 3.6 points and 8.8 minutes per game.
McAdoo, 23, made one start in 41 games during his second season for Golden State, and averaged 2.9 points per game.
Free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.
