Earlier this week, the Clippers inked forward Matt Barnes to a one-year, minimum-salary deal, beating out the Heat, Lakers, Nets, and others. The Knicks also appeared to be interested at one point, but agent Aaron Goodwin believes that coach Mike Woodson was never "truly on board" with the idea. Here's more on the Clippers and other items out of the Pacific..
- While Gary Sacks formally signed Barnes, it appears that Chris Paul had a significant hand in luring the veteran to Los Angeles, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “Chris Paul was talking about how tough we were going to be next year, assuming I was a Laker,” Barnes said. “I told him I was a free agent and he said, ‘No, you’re about to be a Clipper.' "
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld thinks that the Kings are doing the right thing by holding off on an extension for Tyreke Evans. With fellow guards Aaron Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, John Salmons, Francisco Garcia, and Jimmer Fredette in the mix, Sacramento has other options in the event that Evans doesn't return to his rookie-year form.
- The HoopsWorld staff previewed the 2012/13 Warriors and Yannis Koutroupis opines that if it weren't for the Lakers, Golden State would have had the best offseason of anyone in the division. The Warriors rounded out their team with the re-signing of Brandon Rush along with the additions of Carl Landry, Jarrett Jack, Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, and Draymond Green.