LeBron James, like most NBA observers, was shocked to learn that Harrison Barnes was traded while playing for the Mavs in a 99-93 victory Wednesday night against the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
Barnes, for his part, expressed gratitude for his time in Dallas and said he was looking forward to joining the Kings.
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) February 7, 2019
Sacramento is parting ways with second-year forward Justin Jackson and veteran big man Zach Randolph.
.@paulpierce34 says Harrison Barnes knew a trade to the Kings was in the works prior to the game, and still wanted to play for the Mavericks Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/06wuxZERBC
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 7, 2019
Per ESPN:
“He’s a better man than me, for sure,” said Dirk Nowitzki, the longtime face of the Mavs who frequently raved about Barnes’ character and work ethic. “Everybody else would have bounced. He’s just a generally good dude. He’s obviously got bonds with some of these players here for life, and that’s the kind of guy that he is.”
After the game, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle thanked Barnes in front of the team for “being the model professional and a great example.”
“I am going to miss him an awful lot,” Carlisle said. “We’ll miss him an awful lot, but I believe he’s going to have a great situation where he’s going, and we’ll just go forward from here.”
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Harrison Barnes: ‘Difficult’ Transition from Warriors to Mavs
