Who Should The Blazers Target If Wesley Matthews Leaves In Free Agency?
By Chris Kirby
There are a number of questions regarding the future of the Portland Trail Blazers as we head towards the NBA offseason. The major elephant in the room has to do with their franchise cornerstone, LaMarcus Aldridge – will he stay or will he go? Regardless of his decision, the Blazers will also have to focus their attention on a number of other unrestricted free agents.
More from Portland Trail Blazers
- Damian Lillard needs just two words to dismantle a Blazers fan’s hot take
- NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
- The NBA’s strong message to Lillard clears path for a major trade
- NBA Trades: Is this the deal that finally sends Damian Lillard to Miami?
- 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
Wesley Matthews has been one of Portland’s top contributors for the past four seasons, but his time in Rip City may be nearing an end. Lost among all of this LaMarcus hoopla is the fact that the team’s best perimeter defender and third-leading scorer will be hitting the free agent market soon.
Sure, he is coming off of a season-ending Achilles tear, but he still has some value in the eyes of general managers and coaches. The Blazers front office sat back and watched as the team’s defense went from a top-10 unit to a bottom-10 one while Matthews was hobbled on the sidelines.
He has always been an ironman throughout his career and there is no reason to label him injury-prone or anything crazy like that after one major fall.
On top of Worldwide Wes hitting the open market, trade deadline acquisition Arron Afflalo is expected to opt out of his current contract on July 1. His absence would leave the Blazers with two young off-guards on its roster when free agency begins – C.J. McCollum and Allen Crabbe.
While it’s likely that the team will bring Matthews or Afflalo back (if not both), there is a chance that they have to move in another direction or give their young horses the reigns. If the latter does happen, who should the Blazers target moving forward?
If Afflalo does opt out of his deal (and Steve Blake opts in), the Blazers will have a little more than $30 million committed to their players next season. Assuming the NBA’s salary cap will be raised to $67 million, the team will have roughly $37 million in cap space to spend as they wish.
Aldridge will surely command a maximum salary (there is no doubt about that), so after dishing out $20 million to LMA next season, the Blazers would have around $17 million to use on free agents (depending on what they decide to do with Robin Lopez or any other unrestricted free agents on the roster).
Khris Middleton and Danny Green are two players that may fit the Trail Blazers needs while making sense financially. Both players will probably command contracts somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 million to $40 million over four years.
Middleton is a great young shooter that would fit well into head coach Terry Stotts’ flow offense. He made a name for himself this season, averaging 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Milwaukee Bucks.
He began the season as a reserve in Jason Kidd’s system, but he made the jump to the starting lineup after Jabari Parker went down with a torn ACL.
He steadily improved over the course of the season, and he ended up becoming a go-to option down the stretch — he averaged 17.7 points per-game in March. Middleton is especially effective shooting from the corners (he shot 51.3 percent from that area of the floor), and he shot 40.7 percent from long distance all together.
He is also a solid player defensively (he allowed opponents to shoot only 32.1 percent from three-point range), so he would be able to slide into Matthews’ place in the lineup with relative ease. Another intriguing factor in a possible Middleton signing would be the fact that he is only 23 years old.
I’m not sure how likely it would be for Milwaukee to let him go, but he should be the Blazers “Plan B” if all else fails.
Green is slightly older (27 years old) but he is made from the same mold as Matthews and Middleton. He has been a valuable contributor for the San Antonio Spurs for the past five seasons and he has played in more playoff games than anyone else on Portland’s roster.
You can’t really beat having a player that has contributed to a few deep playoff runs (he would have been the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2013 if it weren’t for a miracle Ray Allen three-pointer).
He averaged 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this past season, while shooting 42.0 percent from beyond the arc. He can pretty much light it up from anywhere behind the stripe and he is an above-average defensive player. When you factor in his intangibles, he would be a very solid addition to this current Portland team.
There will also be a number of other cheaper alternatives out there that Portland may be interested in. Marco Belinelli (San Antonio Spurs) and Gerald Green (Phoenix Suns) are both decent offensive players.
Belinelli would probably be a nicer fit in the Blazers system since he is a better shooter, but both could contribute. Green is reminiscent of Inspector Gadget, bouncing around the floor like he has springs in his shoes, and he would give Portland the athlete they don’t have after trading away Will Barton.
If the Blazers would like to sign a cheaper, strictly defensive-minded player, they should look at Corey Brewer (Houston Rockets). He can’t shoot the ball but he can shut down opposing swingmen (allowed opponents to shoot only 32.7 percent from distance). He would also add that athletic element similar to Gerald Green.
Live Feed
Rip City Project
Kyle Singler (Oklahoma City Thunder) is one player that could tug on a few heartstrings. He grew up in Southern Oregon and he is well-remembered for his days on the Oregon high school scene.
He is widely considered the second-best prospect to ever come out of “The Beaver State” and his South Medford High School team won the 2007 state championship, defeating the legendary Kevin Love and his Lake Oswego squad.
Singler is a solid shooter from the shoulders and he can contribute in a number of ways. While he will probably never be a star player, he is a solid rotation guy and he will help your team and never become a liability.
The Trail Blazers will be lucky if they don’t even have to consider any of these options. They would be way better off with Wesley Matthews on their roster compared to any other swingman that could be available in free agency.
However, there are going to be a number of teams that will go after Wes hard, so at least Blazer fans can be comforted in knowing that there are a few other cheaper alternatives out there if the franchise goes in that direction.
Next: Stephen Curry: Top 10 Moments From His MVP Season
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout