Report: Wesley Matthews to get max deal from Mavericks after Jordan re-signs with Clippers
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Center DeAndre Jordan's decision to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers is putting more dollars into Wesley Matthews' bank account.
Jordan originally had a verbal agreement in place with the Mavericks to head to the Big D in 2015-16 on a four-year deal, but eventually backtracked, returning to the Clippers on a max contract worth $87.7 million.
Matthews, who reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $57 million, was never going to change his mind about signing with Dallas, regardless of which team Jordan ultimately joined.
The 28-year-old shooting guard's contract will reportedly jump from $57 million to $70 million over four years now that Jordan's no longer part of the Mavericks' plans, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports.
That would have happened if Jordan had initially opted 2 stay in L.A. Matthews took less in order 4 Jordan to come. That changed, obviously.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 9, 2015
Ironically enough, it was in a game against the Mavericks while Matthews was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers where he tore his left Achilles tendon March 5, missing the remainder of the regular season and five postseason outings.
Very few players in league history have been able to return from such a major injury without experiencing a heavy dip in production. The Mavericks are gambling on Matthews' health and for him to be the 3-and-D threat he was prior to tearing his Achilles.
In 60 games last season with Portland, Matthews averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists with a career-best 16.1 PER. He also shot 44.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from behind the arc.