Judge Agrees To Postpone Matt Barnes's Assault Trial Until After The NBA Finals

Matt Barnes’s trial in his misdemeanor assault case has been postponed until June 27 to accommodate a possible trip to the NBA Finals.

Barnes faces charges of third-degree assault and obstruction of breathing after an altercation in a New York City bar in early December, while in town for a game against the Knicks. He additionally faces a civil suit for the incident. Barnes allegedly punched a man and grabbed a woman by the neck and began choking her as a 3 a.m. fight escalated. Former teammate DeMarcus Cousins is also named in the civil suit for his involvement in the fight, but he was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the New York Police Department in an investigation that concluded last week and does not face any charges.

Barnes signed with the Golden State Warriors earlier this week to help fill the void left by an injured Kevin Durant, and he was in court yesterday to be arraigned. His lawyer Alex Spiro, however, requested that the trial date be postponed. From the New York Post:

Judge Herbert Moses asked Spiro if his client could return to court in mid-June.

Spiro quipped that Barnes might be unavailable.

“I have reason to believe my client will be playing in the NBA Finals,” he said.

“Good luck,” the judge said before giving Barnes a June 27 return date.