The Dallas Mavericks intend to sign Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Harrison Barnes to a four-year max offer sheet when the league's free-agent moratorium ends on July 7, ESPN's Marc Stein reports, citing sources.

The Warriors have matching rights on Barnes, and are expected to match any offer sheet he signs unless Kevin Durant agrees to come to Golden State.

The Mavericks are reportedly aware that Barnes will likely only be available to them if Durant chooses the Warriors. But after losing swingman Chandler Parsons to free agency and striking out on their top target (in this case, center Hassan Whiteside) for the zillionth straight summer, they're willing to give it a shot anyway.

The biggest potential drawback for the Mavs is they could have that max contract's worth of cap space (approximately $22 million) tied up in Barnes for three days, while the Warriors decide whether to match. As Dallas learned last summer when DeAndre Jordan reneged on the verbal agreement he made during the moratorium, those days can be precious, and costly.

They apparently feel it's worth it for a shot at Barnes. The 24-year-old combo forward averaged a career-high 11.7 points for the Warriors last season, shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3-point range. He's not quite the shooter or playmaker Parsons is, but he's a better and more versatile defender and he's nearly four years younger.