Barnes, Kings agree to three-year, $54M extension, per agent

Harrison Barnes and the Kings have agreed to a new three-year, $54 million contract extension, his agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.

Barnes was slated to hit unrestricted free agency Friday afternoon, but the Kings prevented that from happening, locking up a key veteran who helped lead them back to the NBA playoffs last season.

The 31-year-old forward started all 82 regular-season games last season, averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.

The Kings began the week as one of the NBA teams with the most salary cap space, projected to have just over $35 million in room. But the return of Barnes at $18 million per season takes a big chunk out of their budget.

The NBA free agency negotiating window opens 3 p.m. PT on Friday.

The Kings surprised most NBA pundits last season by securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and ending their 16-season playoff drought, and Barnes’ veteran leadership and steadiness was a big reason why.

Sacramento was bounced from the playoffs by the Warriors in a grueling seven-game series, but now they look to build on that success. Even with Barnes back in the fold, the Kings have the ability to add significant pieces to fill out Mike Brown’s roster.