Wesley Matthews is currently a free-agent. He is a 12 year veteran and last year he played in 58 games for the Lakers. He averaged 4.8 points in 19.5 minutes per game. Unfortunately for Wesley Matthews, all of his shooting numbers (other than free-throw percentage) were the lowest of his career. Originally signed on to be a slasher who could shoot from outside, a 33% outside shot percentage is not what the Lakers were looking for, and was most certainly his lowest showing in his career from the outside.
Was it a sign of mother nature's undefeated ability to make our bodies slow decline, or was it an outlier?
For the Lakers to consider re-signing Wesley Matthews, they'd want to see something closer to his 2017-18 numbers in Dallas. For the Mavericks that year, he shot an eFG% of .520 and shot .380 from outside. Numbers like that would not only play, but they'd make him one of the better bench options in the league.
Roster wise, the Lakers still have two more spots available. Wesley Matthews would not break the bank or put any luxury tax issues on the table. Unless the Lakers target another big man (which is certainly possible if Marc Gasol isn't going to play) re-signing a good veteran presence like Wesley Matthews makes a lot of sense.
In a new Lakers locker room, he'd be a veteran presence around well, frankly, a lot of other veterans. Save the LAARP jokes, a group of veterans wanting to win is never a bad thing.
The only uncertain question is: is the regression real, and can Wesley re-capture his old shooting stroke?
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