Wesley Matthews is one of the best two-way players in the game, but he’s also 28-years-old, and coming off a torn Achilles tendon.
Matthews is set to become a free agent, and wants to get paid, to the tune of $15 million per season according to USA Today.
According to a person with knowledge of Matthews’ situation, he is seeking a multi-year deal that pays approximately $15 million annually. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of such discussions.
Matthews has already returned to basketball activities, and he is expected to be fully healthy and ready to play at the start of the regular season. He is on track to be active once training camps begin in October, but is likely to ease his way into the preseason. Matthews, a strong defender who averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game two seasons ago and 15.9 points per game in the 2014-15, has been playing at an All-Star caliber level for quite some time now and is confident that he’ll return to that level next season.
Matthews is a pretty good player, but is he worth four-years, at $60 million?
He’s a dependable outside shooter and a solid defender, and a guy the Blazers need to focus on keeping, especially with LaMarcus Aldridge possibly taking his talents back to his home state of Texas.