Following DeMarcus Cousin's entry to the New Orleans' line-up, Matt Barnes' spot was given up in favor of the former Sacramento Kings' new acquisitions. Without a roster spot because of the transactions that prompted the big man's move to the Bayou, he just found himself going back to the Bay Area.
Reports have surfaced that the Golden State Warriors just signed the 13-year veteran to fill the void left by Kevin Durant. According to the NBA, KD hyper-extended his knee as teammate Zaza Pachulia inadvertently fell on to his leg while battling Wizards' Marcin Gortat.
This will be the second stint of the 26-year old Matt Barnes with Golden State. Picked by Memphis in 2002 draft as 46th selection, Barnes is a part of the "We Believe" Warriors team in 2007 where they upset the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs based on reports from Bleacher Report.
In his previous stint with the Warriors in 2006-2008, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per outing in his first two seasons with the team according to ESPN statistics. He later bounced around the league until his recent team waived him to give way to Cousins and other younger acquisitions.
He later on posted on his Instagram account that his move to GSW is a blessing. Asked for his opinion on his return to the GSW, he told The Undefeated's Mark J. Spears that he is all pumped out and he feels like he still has an unfinished business with the team.
Matt Barnes played 54 games with Sacramento before placed in on waivers. During his stay, he had been playing significant minutes in the Kings' rotation as a wingman. He's been averaging 7.6 points, 4.6 boards and 2.8 assists in 25.3 minutes.
Kevin Durant was set to an MRI to see the extent of his injury but with the addition of Matt Barnes, coach Steve Kerr is bracing for the worse. The UCLA alum is seen to bring leadership and veteran smarts to the team led by young gunners Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
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