Report: Mavs won't deal Matthews, Williams
It seems the Dallas Mavericks are content with the core group of guards that have carried them to an 18-30 record and 13th place in the Western Conference this season.
David Aldridge of NBA.com reports that shooting guard Wesley Matthews is "off-limits" to potential trade suitors, while point guard Deron Williams is "equally unattainable."
Matthews - who tore the Achilles in his left leg in 2015 - has lost a step, but remains a consistent minutes contributor for the Mavs. He only missed four games last season, and has played in all but three so far this year. Outside of Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki, Matthews' four-year, $70-million deal is the biggest contract on the Mavs' payroll, so their desire to keep him - especially in the current climate of rising NBA salaries - makes sense.
The report of Williams being unattainable comes as somewhat of a surprise, however. The 32-year-old has missed 11 games this year and is now forced to compete with Seth Curry for minutes at the lead guard position. Williams is also a free agent next summer.
The Mavericks have stepped it up recently, winning four of five games including three impressive victories: a 49-point drubbing of the lowly Los Angeles Lakers and back-to-back narrow wins over the second-place San Antonio Spurs and defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Matthews is averaging 15.2 points on the strength of 2.8 3-pointers per game, but is shooting an inefficient 39 percent from the field. Williams has posted averages of 13.5 points and 7.1 assists.