Minnesota Timberwolves free agency targets: Wesley Matthews
The Los Angeles Lakers could not find a way to win basketball games with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing significant time late in the season. As the seven seed, they lost their first game to the Phoenix Suns – who look every part of a top-2 seed in a loaded conference.
Matthews, now age 34, could be a complementary low-usage wing option for the Timberwolves. A veteran presence, Matthews appearing in nearly 60 games for Los Angeles this past season, making almost 20 minutes per appearance. While he has regressed slightly since playing in Milwaukee a season ago, Matthews is pretty much exclusively a 3-and-D player now.
For the Timberwolves, Matthews would be a solid veteran presence – and that should not be taken lightly for one of the youngest teams in the NBA. The addition of Ed Davis may not have looked good from a statistical standpoint, but Davis was tremendous in the locker room, and Matthews could possibly fill a similar role – being on a contender two seasons in a row.
The Timberwolves’ current positional breakdown means they might not look to add a wing through free agency – but if general manager ends up making a move to acquire a different position – leading to a lack of 2-3 depth, Matthews very well could be a solid option. There is, however, a nonzero chance he ends up retiring following this season, especially if he ends up winning a championship in Los Angeles.