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Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Summary
Matthews likely signed below his market value last summer, settling for a 2-year minimum contract with a player option on the second year. Matthews is a two-way wing that can defend multiple positions, which is a very valuable thing in today's NBA.
Matthews had a down shooting year for his standards, as this was the first year in his career he shot below average. However, I believe his body of work shows he's still a good shooter, which should help him stay on the court as he begins to age into his mid-thirties.
While we do not know what offers Matthews got last summer, I assume he got some offers over the minimum, and expect him to get the same next summer. It will be interesting to see if Matthews again prioritizes playing time and winning above maximizing earnings.
Cap Considerations
Matthews has a $2.7 million player option for next season, and if he declines that option he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $1.6 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. If Matthews opts for free agency, the Bucks will be limited in their means of re-signing him. Since they will only have his Non-Bird Rights, the most they could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is a contract starting at $3.1 million.
However, the Bucks could use their Mid-Level Exception to re-sign Matthews as well. The Bucks will likely have the $6 million Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception available to re-sign Matthews, but could also have the full $9.3 million Non-Taxpayer MLE depending on what happens with their other free agents.
Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Matthews as even teams without cap space could possibly use any of the Non-Taxpayer, Taxpayer, or Room Mid-Level Exceptions to sign him. Since he signed a minimum contract last summer, teams will hope to get him at the minimum this offseason too.
Potential Teams: Bucks, Jazz, Celtics, Warriors, Rockets
Predicted Contract: 1-year, $3.1 million with the Bucks
Actual Contract: 1-year, $3.6 million with the Lakers
Matthews signed for a similar amount to what I expected, signing for the full BAE with the Lakers
Last updated: 12/31/2020
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