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Pacers Season Reviews: Wesley Matthews

By Ben Pfeifer

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 21: Wesley Matthews #23 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates against the Boston Celtics in game four of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 21, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 21: Wesley Matthews #23 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates against the Boston Celtics in game four of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 21, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Wesley Matthews of the Indiana Pacers
Wesley Matthews of the Indiana Pacers /

To resign or not to resign?

In theory, bringing back Wesley Matthews is something Indiana would like to do. Despite his abysmal two-point scoring, Matthews’ floor spacing and defense could be valuable in a bench setting. However, I do not think the Indiana Pacers should bring back Wesley Matthews and I don’t think he stays in Indiana either.

With Matthews on a one year, minimum deal, the Pacers have “non-bird” rights on Matthews, meaning they can sign him to a deal worth 120% of the minimum, even if are over the cap. That only amounts to a base salary of just under $3.1 M; given Matthews’ performance this season, he will surely be able to command a larger offer elsewhere. One that the Pacers could give him, but it would require cap space. They will have around $40 M in space, but the likes of Thad Young, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Cory Joseph should be ahead of Matthews on the pecking order in terms of getting that money.

Say Matthews only asks for $7M annually (I expect him to ask for at least a few million more), that’s around 18% of your available room. Though Matthews is a positive contributor for the Pacers, in no world is he worth that much money to the team. Plus, signing him would hurt the chance to resign higher priority free agents and/or upgrade the team. I doubt Matthews even wants to take a bench role going forward anyway, given much of his motivation for coming to Indiana was being able to start. The fit isn’t great this summer.

dark. Next. What should the Pacers expect when they make the 18th pick in the NBA draft?

My prediction is Wesley Matthews has played his last minute in an Indiana Pacers uniform, at least for now. It was a fun and productive quarter-season of play from Matthews, whose shooting, defense and samurai swagger were a welcome addition to the Indiana Pacers.

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