Reports: Indiana Pacers have interest in Harrison Barnes in free agency
According to multiple reports, the Indiana Pacers have interest in free agent forward Harrison Barnes.
Barnes, who just finished up a four-year, $85 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He averaged 15 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this past season and was a helpful piece for the Kings during their terrific regular season.
Prior to joining Sacramento, Barnes spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. Now-Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was Barnes' coach during that stretch, and the forward averaged nearly 20 points per game with the Mavericks in 2016-17.
The 11-year veteran won a title with the Golden State Warriors in 2015. He has 71 games of playoff experience under his belt, though his scoring and efficiency has dipped in the postseason throughout his career.
Barnes also overlapped with Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton for one-and-a-half seasons in Sacramento. He was one of a few crucial veterans for the young ball handler.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line substack reported the following: "League sources say that the Pacers have interest in Kings free agent-to-be Harrison Barnes, thanks at least in part to two rather prominent Barnes fans in the organization: All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton (who played with Barnes in Sacramento) and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle (who coached Barnes in Dallas)."
The Pacers have a need for more depth at the small forward and power forward positions, and Barnes can play both. That would make him a snug fit with the blue and gold, especially on a shorter deal. The 31-year old made just over $18 million this past season.
Indiana could have as much as just over $32 million in salary cap space come July depending on what they do in the coming days. That should be plenty for Barnes if the Pacers actually do pursue him.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported something extremely similar to Stein. "The Pacers, sources said, are also a strong contender to sign Harrison Barnes from the Sacramento Kings. Barnes had a close relationship with All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton during their overlapping tenure in Northern California, and Barnes has further support from Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle dating back to shared days with the Mavericks," Fischer shared.
According to James Ham of ESPN1320 in Sacramento, the Kings have had talks about retaining Barnes. He is an unrestricted free agent, but the forward could have more suitors than just Indiana.
As a veteran, a wing who is a decent three-point shooter, and an adequate defender with size, Barnes would check a lot of boxes for the Pacers. He may not be a significant ceiling raiser, but he would certainly make the team better. The reported interest makes sense and meshes with the team's stated offseason goals.
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