There was a report at the end of last week that it was unlikely that the Golden State Warriors would come to an agreement on an extension with Harrison Barnes. Now it seems like an extension is a little more likely as Warriors general manager Bob Myers reportedly said he is working towards a deal with not only Barnes but also Festus Ezeli, according to Dieter Kurtenbach of KNBR.
The Warriors have an extremely young nucleus of players that up until recently were very cost controlled but now they are getting to the point where they need to get paid. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green already go their big deals and now Barnes and Ezeli are next. Fortunately for the Warriors reigning MVP Stephen Curry has a bargain of a deal at about $11 million a year until 2017 so that should make things a little easier.
Barnes will garner more money in these extension talks than Ezeli will but both will be in for big time raises. Barnes is set to make a little more than $3.8 million in the 2015-16 season but his extension is likely to pay him around $14 million a year. Ezeli on the other hand is scheduled to make just over $2 million this season while an extension would likely pay him between $5 million to $7 million per year.
"We're going to work hard on both those guys, and if we can do a deal, we'll happily do it," said Myers about an extension for both of his eligible players. Ezeli and Barnes are both eligible for extensions because they were first round picks in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Barnes has made massive improvements since coming into the NBA and at age 23 he has proven that he deserves a huge raise. Barnes has said he wants to stay with Golden State and if they can make it work financially it seems likely. Ezeli, on the other hand, never really made an impact with the Warriors until the postseason. In the postseason Ezeli averaged 13.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per 36 minutes and showed tremendous energy while helping the Warriors to the NBA Championship. Ezeli, 25, may be the Warriors long-term answer at center when Andrew Bogut's contract expires after the 2016-17 season.
