The city of Portland has suffered through a mass exodus of historical proportions this NBA offseason. Virtually every key rotation player from last year not named Damian Lillard departed in free agency, forcing the Blazers into a large-scale rebuild almost overnight. One by one, their guys fled for greener pastures as the team watched helplessly. At least with the exception of Wesley Matthews, apparently.
According to a story by Jason Quick of the Oregonian that ran on Wednesday, the Blazers never made an attempt to re-sign the 28-year-old shooting guard this offseason, despite his desire to return. To make matters worse, the team didn’t even have the courtesy to reach out to Matthews and inform him of their intentions.
“I was pissed off,” Matthews said. “I felt disrespected.”
The story goes on to reveal Portland’s rationale behind letting Matthews walk.
The only chance the Blazers would pursue Matthews, top executive Neil Olshey later explained, was if free agent LaMarcus Aldridge chose to return, maintaining Portland as a playoff-caliber team. When Aldridge chose San Antonio, the Blazers decided to rebuild. Paying big money to a 29-year-old shooting guard coming off major surgery didn’t make long-term sense.
“I was angry,” Matthews said, “but I also realize that this is a business.”
The Blazers’ decision is defensible from a strategic standpoint. Matthews suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, one of the most serious injuries a professional athlete can sustain, less than five months ago. After Aldridge left, a hard reset and a rebuild around Lillard was the logical path for them to pursue. It’s especially so considering the contract Matthews got from Dallas this summer (four years, $70 million). That’s money which would have crippled the Blazers’ future, particularly if Matthews showed any ill effects from his injury long-term.
But Portland’s actions are certainly not defensible from a decency standpoint. Matthews was often praised as a “heart and soul” leader in the Blazers’ locker room that always left it all out on the court for his team. For Portland to not even offer him a token phone call out of respect is just tacky and ungrateful. We’re always quick to pull out our pitchforks when a player like DeAndre Jordan does this to a team. But when the tables are turned and the team is the one doing the disrespecting, the backlash is significantly less even if the offense is no less heinous.
Nevertheless, Matthews, one of the league’s premier 3-and-D wings, should fit in nicely with the Mavericks next year. He’ll be a pleasure to watch spotting up around Deron Williams-Dirk Nowitzki pick-and-rolls and sealing off the perimeter defensively next to Chandler Parsons. Meanwhile, Portland will start from scratch aided by a new ragtag bunch of young talent (Noah Vonleh, Mason Plumlee, Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless, Cliff Alexander, etc.) as both sides try their damnedest to win this messy breakup.
