Harrison Barnes seems like a class act.
Though the Dallas Mavericks forward told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears that his decision to leave the Golden State Warriors was “more so made for me,” he does not sound bitter at the way things played out. He appears to understand, and is more inclined to reflect on the good times he had playing for Oakland’s finest.
To that end, Barnes apparently sent individual text messages to his Warriors brethren after Kevin Durant announced that he would be joining their cause:
“Right after the KD decision happened, I texted everyone individually something special to them whatever it was, whatever my relationship was with them,” Barnes recently told The Undefeated. “I didn’t want to do the cliché, ‘I’m out, guys.’ I wanted to text each person individually and tell them that we are family and how much they meant to me.”
This is kind of a big deal.
The NBA is a business. Players know this. But the Warriors’ relationship with one another seemed to transcend that business. That 73-win core was a collective, both on and off the hardwood. It’s easy to say that they buddied up because they were winning, but even when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, their bonds stayed strong to the outside eye.
That’s why I imagine recruiting Durant was bittersweet for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They knew he would come at the expense of current teammates, of friends. That’s a difficult tightrope to walk, and it would be extremely easy for Barnes to be offended by what transpired. But he seems to understand and is in no rush to hold any grudges.
Snagging a four-year, $94 million contract from Dallas, of course, helped soften the blow, but that doesn’t make him any less of a class act.
