Matt Barnes signs with Warriors in wake of Kevin Durant injury
With Kevin Durantto miss at least four weeks with a sprained MCL and a bone bruise on his left leg, the Golden State Warriors have signed Matt Barnes as a potential fill-in, it was announced Thursday.
Durant suffered ahyperextended left kneeTuesday night atWashington, and the Warriors quickly reached out to Barnes, sources told ESPN.
In his first game since signing, Barnes scored two points in 12 minutes on Thursday in the Warriors' 94-87 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Barnes told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that he will sign a rest-of-the-season deal with Golden State, as opposed to a 10-day contract.
"It's a dream come true!" Barnes told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I feel like I helped start something in '07, and now I'm coming back to help finish it."
In an Instagram post late Tuesday night, Barnes called this "the happiest day of my life" after the birth of his children.
Barnes spent two seasons in Golden State, from 2006 to 2008.
Sources said Golden State, to make roster room for Barnes, will be forced to abandon its plans to sign Jose Calderon on Thursday after Calderon clears waivers.
Regarding the looming addition of Barnes, Warriors officials could not be reached for comment.
Freshly waived by the Los Angeles Lakers, Calderon committed to sign with the Warriors early this week upon clearing waivers at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday. But ESPN has learned that the Warriors will sign Calderon to a rest-of-the-season deal and then promptly waive him, ensuring Calderon earns the money he would have received in Golden State but also leaving a roster spot open to add Barnes.
On Feb. 20, theKingswaived Barnes -- who grew up in Sacramento -- despite the fact he is owed nearly $6.5 million next season.
The Kings needed a roster spot to accommodate the players they received in their DeMarcus Cousins trade with theNew Orleans Pelicans. Because of what Kings general manager Vlade Divac termed "culture" reasons, they decided to waive the 36-year-old Barnes after a rocky stint with his hometown team that included a December arrest stemming from an incident in a Manhattan nightclub.
