NBA Trade Rumors: 4 Scoring Wings That Could Help Charlotte Hornets
By Max Seng
Wesley Matthews
The 30-year-old is looking more and more like the Wesley Matthews of old, as evidence keeps piling up that recovery from a torn Achilles is a two-year process.
Matthews’ numbers are comparable to his Portland Trail Blazers 2014-15 season that netted him a four-year, $70 million contract from the Dallas Mavericks, as he’s averaging 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest on .398/.382/.815 shooting.
He’s been Dallas’ secondary scorer most nights behind Harrison Barnes and is shooting a nice percentage from behind the arc on 7.3 attempts per game.
Most importantly, he seems to have most of his quickness and all of his confidence back from that terrible injury two seasons ago.
Matthews used to be a lockdown defender in Portland and may have the ability to return to that form in a more defensively oriented team in Charlotte.
His 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame would be a perfect fit between Walker and Batum at the 2 spot, hounding opposing shooting guards on a nightly basis.
The Hornets would receive Matthews, a high-level starting shooting guard that has shown plenty of tread left on the tires, and a young wing in Justin Anderson to grow.
The Mavericks would receive a defensive stopper in Kidd-Gilchrist that is still only 23 years old and Jeremy Lamb, a scoring guard who is also younger than 25 that can eat up plenty of minutes among the Mavericks’ young core.