Harrison Barnes made it clear why he opted to re-sign with the Kings despite interest from other NBA teams.
Speaking with ESPN's senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears, Barnes, in no uncertain terms, said he returned to Sacramento because of the core that Kings general manager Monte McNair is building around.
"I chose to stay because we have a great young team and I think we can make some real noise in the West," Barnes told Spears.
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It makes sense why Barnes opted to sign a three-year, $54 million contract with the Kings after helping Sacramento end its 16-season playoff drought.
Next to Barnes is 25-year-old De'Aaron Fox, who proved to be one of the NBA's elite players, regardless of position, especially in the fourth quarter.
Alongside Fox are 24-year-old 3-point specialist Kevin Huerter and 22-year-old rookie sensation Keegan Murray. Manning the middle is 27-year-old Domantas Sabonis, an All-Star and All-NBA center.
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Barnes was durable last season, playing all 82 games while averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while hitting 47.3 percent of his looks from the field and 37.4 percent from 3-point land.
With all the young pieces the Kings have and the veteran leadership of championship-winning coach Mike Brown, the sky is the limit for the Kings and their success last season proved just how high they potentially could reach.
Despite a number of Kings players not having playoff experience, Sacramento pushed Golden State to seven games, with Steph Curry needing to drop 50 points for the Warriors to eliminate the Kings.
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As the Kings look to reload in free agency this offseason, they can take solace in the fact that one of their veteran leaders is staying in Sacramento.
With Barnes, Fox, Sabonis, Huerter and Murray secured for the future, it remains to be seen how high this young core ultimately can go.
