Pros/Cons of the Milwaukee Bucks keeping free agent Wesley Matthews

With eight players eligible to hit NBA free agency this offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks will have plenty of decisions to make in the coming months.

Among the bunch is Wesley Matthews, who had a solid season with the reigning champions after coming aboard in December via a non-guaranteed deal. It was great to watch the Wisconsin native carve out a crucial role for himself before ultimately getting his contract guaranteed and becoming the full-time starting shooting guard for the Bucks down the final stretch of the season. While the Bucks came up short in their quest for a title, the guard made it clear during his exit interview that he will not be retiring and that he wants to stay right at home in Wisconsin to continue his career. The two-guard let it be known that Milwaukee is where he wants to be, and here are the pros and cons of the Bucks obliging his request by re-signing him once free agency ultimately begins.

The cons of the Milwaukee Bucks keeping Wesley Matthews in free agency

The list of reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks would not re-sign Wesley Matthews is rather finite, to put it bluntly. Though his numbers never quite jumped off the page, it is not controversial to say that Matthews was largely a positive presence during the season, which is exactly why his playing time increased as time progressed. There will not be too many people clamoring for Milwaukee to move on from Matthews immediately this offseason, but there may be some slight concerns.

Among the biggest possible issues would be Matthews’ age, given that he is 35-years-old and will be 36 sooner rather than later. Many have argued vehemently that the Bucks need to get younger this offseason to inject some youth into their roster, given their heavy reliance on savvy veterans and lack of youthful pieces that can be developed in this championship core. The Bucks did enter the 2021-22 season with the fourth oldest roster, and that numbers only increased throughout the regular season as they added players such as Wesley Matthews and Serge Ibaka. Though the experience these veterans provide can be a good thing, relying too heavily on players like this can be an issue at times, noticeably with George Hill in this past playoff run. Re-signing Matthews may take away some of those minutes from the young player that the Bucks draft or possibly sign.

Matthews’ limitations on the offensive end could also make some hesitant to welcome him back with open arms. Throughout 49 regular season appearances, including 14 starts, with the Bucks, he averaged 5.1 points per game, which was the second-fewest in his career, while shooting just 39.5 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from three. Given how much Milwaukee’s struggles on the offensive end played into their playoff demise, it would be a feasible argument to say that the Bucks would be wise to target players that are more capable of providing a scoring punch on the offensive side of the basketball. While the Bucks were never expected to rely on Matthews’ scoring ability, it would not have hurt if he could have knocked down a few more shots.