3 reasons the Milwaukee Bucks should bring Wesley Matthews back
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks brought in Wesley Matthews on a non-guaranteed contract last December, and it turned out to be one of their best moves throughout the 2021-22 NBA season.
Matthews played a pivotal role for the Bucks during his second stint with the team, quickly proving why the front office was right to sign him. The swingman performed well enough to eventually get his contract guaranteed, which proved to be crucial as Matthews eventually became so important that he was promoted to being a full-time starter for head coach Mike Budenholzer. Now, with the Bucks’ season over, Matthews is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and here are three reasons why the front office should look to bring him back for yet another season this coming offseason.
No. 1 – Retaining Wesley Matthews would be low cost for the Milwaukee Bucks, which should be music to their ears
At this stage in his career, Wesley Matthews is not playing for a paycheck. The veteran displayed this last season by reportedly turning down offers from other teams to sign a non-guaranteed deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. During his recent exit interview, Matthews made it clear that he wants to return to Milwaukee next season, given that Wisconsin is his home state and he wants to be close to home while staying in this organization, and he would likely take a pay cut to do so.
Given Milwaukee’s financial limitations, the front office needs to find a few hidden gems on rather team-friendly deals here and there. That is exactly what they did when they signed Matthews last season, and they will almost certainly have the opportunity to do so this offseason. It would be an unexpected move for Matthews to command anything over the minimum in free agency, so there is plenty of incentive on Milwaukee’s end to retain him, given how big of a role he played all year. Re-signing Matthews on a minimum salary may even be considered a bargain by many.
For a team that will not have ample spending money at their disposal, being able to retain a crucial veteran on an incredibly team-friendly contract is a justifiable reason on Milwaukee’s side of it.