Matt Barnes will circle the dates when the Lakers face the Magic (Photo by Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel)
Turns out that Matt Barnes’ decision wasn’t only about the money, after all.
The Cleveland Cavaliers offered him million guaranteed over two years. The Los Angeles Lakers offered .6 million guaranteed over two years.
Barnes chose the Lakers.
Party because of his California roots. Partly because he always dreamed of playing for the Lakers. Partly because he’ll have a better chance to win a title.
But playing for the Lakers also will give him a chance to one-up the Magic.
Barnes says he loves the fans in Central Florida and he insists harbors no ill will toward the franchise, even though it didn’t offer him a contract after he opted out of his two-year deal back in June.
Still, he wants to show the Magic what he feels they’re missing out on. What better way to do that by helping the Lakers three-peat?
“Cleveland did a great job of presenting what they had to offer,” Barnes told the Orlando Sentinel late Thursday night. “Talking to Coach [Byron] Scott, Mr. [Chris] Grant, the G.M., I had a good conversation with both guys. They’re both great guys. But, ultimately, deep down, once things kind of messed up with Orlando, I knew that I wanted to be in a position to, as some would call it, ‘get ‘em back.’
“I knew that Miami and L.A. would be up there as far as contenders. No disrespect to Cleveland, because they have a very talented team and a great new coach and they will definitely be in the mix. But going to the Lakers, the two-time defending champs going for a threepeat, I knew that down the road we are going to get a chance to see Orlando, and that’s what excites me.”
Barnes made clear he’ll maintain his friendships with his former Magic teammates. In fact, he said Vince Carter will fly cross-country to attend Barnes’ Athletes vs Cancer golf tournament this Saturday in Sacramento. And Barnes said about 80 percent of the current Magic roster will attend Barnes’ wedding on Aug. 23.
Still, it’s clear Barnes will be extra hyped for the two times the Lakers face the Magic during the regular season. And, perhaps, just perhaps, the two teams will meet in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
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On Monday, Barnes said on Twitter and told the Sentinel that he was going to join the Toronto Raptors. Yet that deal was contingent on the Raptors being able to complete a sign-and-trade deal with the Magic, and the Magic never had the money under the NBA’s salary cap rules to offer million over two years.
I asked Barnes on Thursday night how and why that miscalculation was made.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “That’s something that I get in bits and pieces, but I don’t talk in detail about it, because I’m not exactly sure what happened. You may know better than me. But once the deal fell off the table, I was definitely disappointed. Toronto offered me great money, and even though they are a team that’s rebuilding, I was excited to be a Raptor. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. I say everything happens for a reason, and that re-opened the door to start thinking about the Lakers, the Heat and the Cavs.”
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Asked what, exactly, his role will be with the Lakers, Barnes said he’s not sure.
“We’ll have to see,” he said. “I’m going to a team that won the championship. So, I’m going out there to just try to be a small piece to help them win three in a row.”
Follow Josh Robbins on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins and e-mail him at jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.
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