NBA Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers’ Wesley Matthews Will Be Overpaid Next Season

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By @b2brennan

Sam Forencich - Getty Images

Sam Forencich – Getty Images

Wesley Matthews has been an important piece of the Portland Trail Blazers for the past five seasons. Unfortunately he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, and I feel like he will be one of the next players to be given an overpaid contract.

When I say overpaid, I in no way mean Matthews wouldn’t be worth the money in the right situation. But in a league where there are too many max contracts and players are offered the most money to come to any team, regardless of the situation, I think Matthews is one of the next guys in line to get a large contract, fall into the wrong team system and be looked at as one of the NBA‘s “bad contracts.”

Matthews is the definition of a true professional and competitor. Being undrafted out of Marquette, Matthews has put in so hard work to become the player he is today. It shows — he always looks as if he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s one of the best defending guards in the league, one of the best three-point shooters and one of the best hustle players. His offensive game has rounded out over the years, and he’s starting to become a nightly 15-20 point per game scorer. Commonly known as “Ironman,” he rarely misses games and almost always plays through injury. This is a combination that any team in the NBA would love to have on their roster.

That being said, Matthews’ role fits perfectly with the Trail Blazers. He is the third scoring option behind Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, and with the attention they draw, his ability to move off the ball and get open shots shows. Also combined with Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez on defense, Matthews is able to guard superstars and use his defensive strengths to combine with Batum’s length and Lopez’s rim protection.

So far I’m making Matthews seem to be the best upcoming free agent in the offseason, but to knock him down a notch, his style of play won’t work well for what many teams will want him to do. Don’t be surprised if you see a few teams offer a max contract to him: cue the New York Knicks. I hate always using the Knicks as an example, but they are pretty much the prime definition of poor money management. I could easily see the Knicks spending a ton of money on Matthews, expecting him to be a nightly 20-plus PPG starter alongside Carmelo Anthony and be extremely disappointed when they realize that isn’t Matthews game. This is nothing against the Knicks, because a number of teams could make the same mistake.

Matthews is a great teammate and a true professional, but in league where we see players like Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith and Thaddeus Young get massive contracts that turn into travesties, don’t be surprised if you see Matthews be one of the next on that list.

Brian Brennan is a Portland Trail Blazers writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @b2brennan.

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