NBA Trade Rumors: Golden State Warriors Possibly Trading Harrison Barnes

NBA trade rumors are suggesting that the Golden State Warriors might trade away Harrison Barnes so that they can sign Stephen Curry to a bigger contract, according to Fansided.

As of this season, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is making $11.3 million, which makes him one of the best deals in pro sports because he is arguably the best NBA player.

Executives for the Golden State Warriors know that they are going to need to pay Stephen Curry the maximum possible amount of money when his contract expires sometime in 2017.

In order to do that, the Golden State Warriors front office has to maintain some cap flexibility, which would be easier to accomplish if they didn’t have to pay Harrison Barnes soon.

Since the Golden State Warriors won an NBA Championship last year, Harrison Barnes and his agent know that his name value is high, so they are going to ask for a lot of money soon.

While the Golden State Warriors value Harrison Barnes and everything that he brings to the table, they might not feel all that comfortable with putting themselves in financial hardship.

With that in mind, the Golden State Warriors are going to want to see if they can get something for Harrison Barnes instead of letting him walk away for free when he becomes a free agent.

The New Jersey Nets are a team that is looking to acquire as much star power and youth as they possibly can, so that they can speed up their rebuilding efforts over the next few years.

Harrison Barnes isn’t a top of the line free agent in the NBA, but he is a really good player that might be able to do even more if he wasn’t on a roster that is extremely deep and stacked.

At the very least, Harrison Barnes would start at one of the forward spots for the New Jersey Nets, depending on whether the team wants to go traditional or play small ball like others.

New Jersey Nets forward Joe Johnson has regressed tremendously over the past couple of years, and management has been looking forward to moving on from their former superstar.

The other starting forward for the New Jersey Nets is Thaddeus Young, a player that the Golden State Warriors can request in the trade because he would add some front court depth.

An eight year NBA veteran, Thaddeus Young brings a lot of versatility to the Golden State Warriors. Young can play both forward positions, even though he is considered undersized.

For years, Thaddeus Young was one of the better outside shooters in the NBA, but now, the 6’8?, 220 pound forward has now added some low post offense to his overall solid game.

Since he mostly played on losing teams during his eight years in the NBA, Thaddeus Young might bring even more energy to the Golden State Warriors, a legitimate NBA title contender.

The Golden State Warriors like to play small ball a lot, and Thaddeus Young would allow them to continue doing that. Young can team up with Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green.

Long known as an unselfish player, Thaddeus Young could either start at forward with Draymond Green or he can come off the bench and backup both starting forward positions.

Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton recently sat Draymond Green out of a game, so Thaddeus Young could prove even more valuable as a reliable rotation player.

Harrison Barnes and Thaddeus Young trading places would do wonders for both the Golden State Warriors and the New Jersey Nets.

[Featured Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]