Top-Five 2015 Free Agents Orlando Magic Should Pursue
Wesley Matthews is out for the remainder of the 2015 NBA season, but he is a far more talented player than star-gazers of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge may have noticed.
He is a lights-out shooter capable of getting very hot, and his heat check shots seem to fall at a rate far greater than the typical NBA 2-guard.
Matthews is not going to be an MVP candidate any time soon, but on the Magic he could round out the backcourt rotation with a little more stability and consistency while providing shooting talents that neither Oladipo nor Payton have yet.
Essentially, adding Matthews would make Evan Fournier expendable, and that may not be a problem. He is capable of putting up 20 points per game on a team like Orlando’s, and could easily serve as a No. 1 or No. 2 option until (and if) the Magic add the major free agent or draftee to complete the core lineup.
With an offseason that is sure to include a restructuring of the bench, Matthews could head a new core of Magic second-unit players, or if Tobias Harris really does walk, start at the 3-spot.
Matthews will likely be in line for similar money to Harris’ (even with Matthews recovering from his season-ending injury), and the argument that he is a far safer pick for major production is shown in the fact he is able to still put up 16 points per game.
Since Portland now has C.J. McCollum starting to play more inspired ball, and also having added Arron Afflalo, it may choose to let Matthews sign elsewhere rather than overstaff the backcourt and not provide Aldridge the help he will need down low (see: unrestricted free agent Robin Lopez needing to be re-signed).
The Blazers identity lies in Lillard and Aldridge, and if the team makes a run in the postseason with Matthews on the shelf, that will blow holes in the value of his free agency campaign.