Barnes planned to rejoin Clippers until they re-signed Johnson

It just wasn't in the cards for veteran forward Matt Barnes to make his way back to the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason.

During an appearance on "The Vertical Podcast" with former teammate J.J. Redick, Barnes revealed that he had every intention to become a Clipper again, having talked with head coach Doc Rivers at the start of free agency, who told him there was a roster spot available if he wanted it. The idea of being closer to his children was also a major selling point for Barnes, but unfortunately, the franchise spent their money elsewhere.

"Doc and I were supposed to go to dinner on a Tuesday, and on Monday, I see that they sign Wesley Johnson," Barnes said. "And I'm thinking to myself, OK. It's going to be a little tight at the small forward position, but I'm all for competition."

Once it sunk in that the Clippers had retained a player who worked the same position as him, Barnes reached out to Rivers later that night to confirm if they were still going to have dinner and discuss a contract. Rivers' response, according to Barnes, was that there wasn't enough money left to get a deal done.

"I'm thinking to myself, 'you ran out of money, or you gave it to someone else?" Barnes added.

The 36-year-old ultimately inked a two-year, $12-million contract with the Sacramento Kings, one of four teams he considered joining as an unrestricted free agent. Johnson's deal with the Clippers is a year longer, but he has the same annual salary at approximately $6 million, meaning the team could have easily gone with Barnes instead.

Los Angeles traded Barnes, along with Spencer Hawes, to the Charlotte Hornets in June of last year in exchange for Lance Stephenson. Barnes was moved again weeks later to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he suited up for 76 games during the 2015-16 campaign and averaged 10 points and 5.5 rebounds.