Portland Signs Utah's Matthew's to Crazy Offer Sheet

[beantownboy171]

For the second straight year, the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to poach a restricted free agent from the Utah Jazz.

The Blazers have signed Jazz shooting guard Wesley Matthews to a five-year, $34 million, according to a league source.

Utah now has seven days to match, but it could be incredibly difficult for the Jazz to do so.

The source told ESPN that Matthews is set to make $9.2 million in 2010-11, an exorbitant raise over his league-minimum salary in 2009-10.

Last summer, the Blazers signed power forward Paul Millsap to an offer sheet, which the Jazz subsequently matched.

Matthews played in all 82 games last season as a rookie, when he made the team as an unrestricted free agent. He started 48 games and averaged 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

In the postseason, Matthews averaged 13.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 37.1 minutes per game. He started in all 10 of Utah's playoff games and was a crucial part of Utah's upset over Denver in the opening round.

The deal is frontloaded, and the restricted free agent mathews is set to make over 9 million dollars next season. This seems absolutely crazy to me for a guy only 1 year in and i'd hope the jazz would let him walk for this money. Sure, he had a good, surprising rookie season. But a guy like Glen Davis goes into last offseason as a restricted free agent, has a proven track record of good play, and can only manage 3 million.

Its a shrewd move by Portland, the same team who signed Utah's Milsap to a big offer sheet last offseason. They seem to enjoy crippling Utah financially.

Money is flying this offseason.

[PosImpos]

Utah would be sooo stupid to match that...Wes Matthews was an undrafted free agent who turned out to be a decent role-player for the Jazz last season.  He isn't worth even half the money he's being offered by the Blazers.

What do the Blazers need with that guy, anyway?  They have Roy already, not to mention Fernandez, Babbitt, and Batum.

[jr_3421]

Yeah don't really see what Portland is doing here unless they are positive that Utah will match. Then they have again hurt the Jazz financially.

[beantownboy171]

Utah would be sooo stupid to match that...Wes Matthews was an undrafted free agent who turned out to be a decent role-player for the Jazz last season.  He isn't worth even half the money he's being offered by the Blazers.

What do the Blazers need with that guy, anyway?  They have Roy already, not to mention Fernandez, Babbitt, and Batum.

The deal just seems absurd to me, the more and more i think about it. A guy like anthony morrow, who i would prefer personally over this kind of unknown commodity, goes for 3 years 12 million in this market, and golden state is reportedly not going to match.

If thats the market, then how the heck does a guy like this, get a contract like this? crazy stuff. He'll be making almost the same amount as ray allen will next season.

[LooseCannon]

But a guy like Glen Davis goes into last offseason as a restricted free agent, has a proven track record of good play, and can only manage 3 million.

Unlike Davis, Matthews can be seen by teams as a plausible starter.

[beantownboy171]

But a guy like Glen Davis goes into last offseason as a restricted free agent, has a proven track record of good play, and can only manage 3 million.

Unlike Davis, Matthews can be seen by teams as a plausible starter.

Is that worth an extra 6 million for a borderline starter? I'm not trying to compare the worth of glen davis and westley mathews, but a contract of that size is generally reserved for known, dependable, starters. And i don't see how wesley mathews warrents that contract.

[erisred]

Seeing as this the second year in a row that Portland has done this, well once could be a coincidence, but twice in a row is starting to look like malice.

[GreenEnvy]

Seeing as this the second year in a row that Portland has done this, well once could be a coincidence, but twice in a row is starting to look like malice.

When I saw this offer, I needed to remind myself who Wesley Matthews was. I see every team play at least twice a season. I know every player worth $7+ million. He is not one of them.

I forgot about Milsap last year, and I agree this is intentional, and I hope Utah doesn't match for that reason alone, but it would also open up Fernandez for 'Sheed's contract.

[jr_3421]

But a guy like Glen Davis goes into last offseason as a restricted free agent, has a proven track record of good play, and can only manage 3 million.

Unlike Davis, Matthews can be seen by teams as a plausible starter.

And unlike Matthews, BBD is a big, who as we know are notoriously overpaid. I just don't think Matthews is worth that much money.

[Bahku]

Might want to merge.

[misha]

wow. I like Wesley but there's no way Jazz should match this offer. Way too much.

[clover]

He put up some seriously good numbers as a 23yo rookie shooting guard (and he's full sized).  If he had been on the Celtics, I think we'd think he was worth it.  (We might only be surprised that another team thought so too.)

[SCBirdman]

I agree he put up some decent numbers, but I had honestly never heard of the guy and he is gonna get 9 mill next year...WOW

[More Banners]

The deal is frontloaded, but averages out to a nuthair over the MLE.  I haven't seen much of Matthews, but MLE isn't too far out there for a starter-caliber player, and he was a starter...

[snively]

Reminds of Bobby Simmons