The Raptors are reportedly be in hot pursuit of free agent swingman Wes Matthews.
This, according to a story from ESPN that includes the following: “The Mavs are still very much interested, with ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reporting that the Toronto Raptors also plan to pursue [Matthews].”
Which certainly makes sense given the Raptors need for perimeter defense, shooting, and depth on the wing, three things Matthews would provide from day one. However, as the report indicated, the Raptors will hardly be the only team looking to add the 29 year-old to their roster.
Matthews, undrafted, averaged 15.4 points and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40% from deep in his five seasons with the Portland Trail-Blazers. He was an integral part of last season’s Trail-Blazers team that finished 2014-15 with home court advantage, however Matthews suffered an achilles tear in March that he is still recovering from. Still, it’s believed that Matthews will still be seeking a contract in the neighbourhood of $15 million per season under the assumption that he is fully healed by next season.
With the trade of Greivis Vasquez and the expiring contracts of Lou Williams and Amir Johnson, the Raptors now have more than $22 million in available cap space.
