8 Do-overs the Portland Trail Blazers Wish They Had During Last Decade

2015: Letting Wesley Matthews walk in free agency

Wesley Matthews played a vital role as a starting shooting guard on some strong Blazers teams from 2010 to 2015. His two-way play, 3-point shooting and fiery leadership made him a fan and teammate favorite.

Yet, when his contract expired in the summer of 2015, Portland declined to match the maximum offer the Dallas Mavericks gave him in free agency.

Letting a player the caliber of Matthews walk for nothing proved to be a blow to the Blazers, leaving a hole at shooting guard that they struggled to fill in subsequent seasons.

Matthews provided elite floor spacing with his 3-point shot, knocking down nearly 40 percent for his Blazers career. He was their best perimeter defender, routinely being assigned to guard the opponent’s top wings.

Though Portland understandably wanted to avoid committing massive money long-term to Matthews when he was coming off a torn Achilles, they sorely missed his contributions after his departure. The Blazers cycled through a revolving door of journeymen shooting guards over the next few seasons, getting inconsistent production from those spots until CJ McCollum shifted to the two.

In a do-over scenario, Portland would likely try to retain Matthews on a shorter, team-friendly extension, perhaps two to three years in the $10 to $12 million range annually.

Although his career declined quickly after leaving Portland due to ongoing injury issues, keeping Matthews those extra couple of productive seasons could have made a big difference for some good Blazers teams that never got over the hump.