DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 99-93, on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. And while they were in the midst of claiming their 25th victory against 28 losses, the Mavs took the unusual step of trading popular forward Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings — while the game was still in progress.
Yep, when Dirk Nowitzki replaced Barnes with 3:11 remaining in he third quarter, that’s when a Mavericks employee told Barnes that he had been traded to the Kings for Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson. After that bit of awkward news, Barnes stayed on the bench for the remainder of the game while the Mavs won for the fifth time in their last seven games.
This was not a typical way a player is traded, to say the least.
“I got word of it during the game and so that is why (Barnes) didn’t play down the stretch, obviously,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I had a chance to speak to him before everyone got in the locker room (after the game) and thanked him for over 2 1/2 great years of being a model pro and being one of the most improved players in the game. I am going to miss him an awful lot.”
Barnes finished the game with 10 points in 26 minutes on 4-of-13 shooting. And although this is a business with a lot of fast-moving parts, Nowitzki didn’t know Barnes had been traded until sometime in the fourth quarter.
“I was playing in the fourth (quarter) still,” Nowitzki said. “I figured it’s about time for Harrison to step in for me now. It was like eight minutes to go. I was like, ‘He’s not coming back. He’s still there on the bench.’ That’s when I found out.
“Obviously disappointed for my guy. I think everybody knows how close we were. A great influence on the team, also in this community. He had an imprint, so we’re going to miss him.”
Tim Hardaway Jr., playing his first game with the Mavs after they acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks last Thursday, was shocked that Barnes had been traded while the game was still going on.
“Just coming here, I was picturing playing alongside him for years to come, and for that to happen it’s tough,” said Hardaway, who scored 12 points. “It’s a business. You’ve got to move on from it. It’s happened to the best of everybody, so nobody’s safe, really.”
In the game itself, rookie Luka Doncic collected his third triple-double of the season as he finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Also, Dorian Finney-Smith produced his second career double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds), and Dwight Powell manufactured his second double-double of the season (11 points, 12 rebounds) as the Mavs won the rebound battle, 57-47.
The triple-double by Doncic marks the first time a Mavericks player has recorded three triple-doubles in a season since Jason Kidd did it during the 2008-9 season.
“It was great,” said Doncic, who was 5-of-20 from the field. “We got a win, so that’s all that matters to me.”
Still, all of that paled in comparison to the blockbuster news that saw the Mavs parting ways with Barnes, one of the team’s more popular players and undisputed leaders. When he met with Barnes in the locker room after the game, Carlisle said Barnes was “very professional” as he tried to explain to him what he meant to the Mavericks organization.
“He is such a consistent person,” Carlisle said. “He looked me in the eye and gave me a handshake. He was great. I thanked him in front of the team for being the model professional and for being a great example here, and wished him the best.
“That is about all you can say. These things happen quick, and he will be on his way and there will be a couple of new guys coming in. We will miss him an awful lot, but I believe he is going to have a great situation where he is going, and we will miss him going forward from here.”
In last month’s 38-point win over the Hornets in Charlotte, the Mavs made 10 shots from 3-point land in the first quarter – that’s a franchise record for the most treys in one quarter. But on Wednesday, the Mavs led 27-20 after the first quarter, despite missing their first 10 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
Dallas went on to lead 52-46 at the half and 74-71 after the third quarter, while holding All-Star guard Kemba Walker to eight second-half points after he poured in 22 points in the first half. In the meantime, Carlisle knew, while the game was still being played, that it was not the ideal time to tell Barnes he had been traded.
“Look, this is madness right now,” Carlisle said. “This week has been a zoo. That is part of the real compelling aspect of this league and we all understand that.
“It is a dynamic business and you deal with things as they happen. With a change like this a door opens for (Barnes) and certain opportunities will open for us.”
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