Golden State Warriors Rumors: Wesley Matthews a potential buyout target

The latest Golden State Warriors rumors suggest that Wesley Matthews could become a target for the team if the New York Knicks buy out their new guard.

It’s been a busy last week or so for Wesley Matthews, who was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal. Now, according to the latest Golden State Warriors rumors, Matthews could be headed for the Bay Area in the not-too-distant future.

This comes from Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, who names the Warriors as one of the potential interested parties if the Knicks send Matthews packing.

"If the Knicks waive shooting guard Wesley Matthews, the Warriors would be interested in potentially picking him up, a league source confirmed with The Chronicle. However, Houston, Oklahoma City, Toronto and Philadelphia are just a few of the other teams reportedly interested in Matthews."

The New York Times’ Marc Stein also confirmed this report, adding that the Knicks are trying to find a trade partner for Matthews. Given his $18.6 million salary (albeit on an expiring contract), though, it seems far more likely he hits the buyout market after the trade deadline passes on Thursday.

Obviously there would be significant competition for Matthews’ services. Although the 33-year-old swingman hasn’t come close to living up to the massive contract the Mavericks signed him to back in 2015, he’s still a quality guard who can occasionally produce solid numbers.

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Unfortunately, there wasn’t much evidence of that in his Knicks debut on Sunday. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Matthews managed only five points, one rebound and two turnovers in 28 minutes, capping off the ugly performance by connecting on only two of his eight shots (including 1-7 from downtown).

Matthews has been on a steady decline since he arrived in Dallas. Over the last four seasons, he’s put up the four worst shooting percentages of his career while seeing a sizable drop in points per game. It hasn’t been all bad, but he’s nowhere near the player the Mavericks thought they were getting when they handed him a four-year, $70 million deal.

Still, the Warriors could certainly use him as an offensive catalyst off the bench. When he isn’t being forced into the alpha scorer role, he’s a quality shooter who creates his own points and isn’t a complete disaster on the defensive end.

With all of that said, it’s still anyone’s guess what the future could hold for Matthews. The Knicks could convince someone to toss them a bone by making a trade. Or maybe New York buys him out, but he decides to shun the Warriors for a different location or more money. The latter isn’t very likely, but you never know what can happen in the NBA.

For now, file this under “Good to know.” Until he’s actually bought out, though, don’t put too much stock into the idea of Matthews playing for the Warriors this season.