Harrison Barnes

Warriors Rebuffing Offers For Harrison Barnes

Last night the Warriors fell, in blowout fashion, to the Mavs for their fourth straight loss, and have dropped to sixth place in the Western Conference. Still, Golden State isn't about to move its lottery pick from this past June. Small forward Harrison Barnes is drawing plenty of interest around the league, but it would take a "major offer" for the Warriors to even consider trading him, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link).

Barnes, 20, slid right into the small forward spot that the Warriors had prioritized upgrading during the offseason. His numbers don't jump off the page, as he's averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game, but he's scored in double figures in five of his last seven contests, including a career-high-tying 21 points against the Suns the last time Golden State won.

The Warriors have little flexibility, and are about $3MM under their hard cap for the season. That would make it difficult for them to acquire much help in return for Barnes' rookie-scale contract, which pays him just $2.798MM this year.

Ingram On Billups, Clippers, Warriors, Hibbert

HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram has a new column that touches on several topics from around the league, including the rivalry in Los Angeles and the Warriors' expectations.

  • Ingram talks to Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, who says he is taking his time getting healthy after tearing his left Achilles' tendon last season.
  • Billups also praises the Clippers' depth, citing the additions of Lamar Odom and Jamal Crawford as moves that will improve the team.
  • Warriors coach Mark Jackson is optimistic Andrew Bogut, acquired last season at the trade deadline, will be ready on opening night. He also thinks the team's three rookies, including lottery pick Harrison Barnes, will be valuable contributors this season.
  • Despite coming close to signing with the Trail Blazers in July, Pacers center Roy Hibbert says he never wanted to leave Indiana and that money was not a factor in his decision. Hibbert signed a four-year, $58MM deal with the Pacers this summer.

Warriors Sign Harrison Barnes

The Warriors have Harrison Barnes to a rookie contract, according to a report from the Associated Press. Taken seventh overall in last Thursday's draft, Barnes is expected to battle Dorell Wright for the team's starting small forward position. He will also compete on Golden State's summer league team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

More Draft Rumors: Thursday

Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:

  • After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
  • The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Earlier updates:

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Draft Rumors: Thursday

Well, we're here. After weeks of following draft rumors and speculating on which player will be picked by which team, we're just hours away from the 2012 draft. Before things get underway tonight though, we're sure to hear plenty more draft rumors, so be sure to follow this page for the latest updates throughout the day. And to fully immerse yourself in tonight's draft, you can also check out our most recent mock draft, the complete draft order, our Prospect Profiles series, and all the rest of our draft content. Here are today's updates, with the latest up top:

  • The Kings and Warriors will make decisions on whether to trade their picks while they're on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says (Twitter link). 
  • It's highly unlikely the Grizzlies use the 25th pick on a point guard, the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets
  • The Grizzlies, Rockets and Celtics are all interested in Royce White, says Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Warriors may trade up from No. 30 to land him, Rothstein also tweets.
  • The Bobcats are "getting closer" to trading the No. 2 pick, tweets ESPN.com's Andy Katz (hat tip to Tom Ziller of SBNation).

Earlier updates:

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Draft Rumors: Wednesday

With draft night fast approaching, our Tuesday draft rumors post seemed to go on forever, and we're expecting things to be just as busy today. Earlier this morning, we published our second and final mock draft, but given the amount of trade chatter around the league, it wouldn't be surprising if some of our predictions were rendered moot within a matter of hours. We'll follow today's draft-related news and rumors right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

  • ESPN's Andy Katz tweets that Dion Waiters could now be a possibility for the Cavaliers at the 4th pick.  If Waiters lands in the top 5, his draft stock will have shot up boards over the past few months in historical fashion.

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Draft Rumors: Tuesday

With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson
  • Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.  

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NBA Invites 14 Players To Draft Green Room

The NBA has invited 14 players to the 2012 NBA Draft Green Room, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The Green Room allows some of the draft's best prospects to sit with their agents and families just off the stage as they await to be selected by a team. Players are extended an opportunity to attend based upon how they are projected to be picked in the draft in order to avoid an awkward situation where a player finds himself sitting around deep into the first round. Notable omissions from the Green Room include UNC's Kendall Marshall and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, who has seen his stock drop due to health concerns.

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Amick On Bobcats, Cavs, Kings, Blazers

Our Draft Updates post chronicles the rumors we've been hearing throughout the day, and Sam Amick of SI.com has a piece that warrants its own post. Amick details the latest on Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson and Damian Lillard, players who could be taken with picks two through six.

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Kyler’s Latest: Sullinger, Waiters, Lillard, Gasol

We're tracking the majority of today's draft updates in a single post right here, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweeted out a number of draft-related rumors this afternoon that are worthy of their own post. Here's the latest from Kyler on Jared Sullinger, Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, and more, along with one non-draft item….

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