Wesley Matthews Felt ‘Disrespected’ By Portland Trail Blazers During Free Agency

Before signing with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2015 offseason, Wesley Matthews expected the Portland Trail Blazers to show interest in re-signing him in free agency. According to Matthews, the Trail Blazers never showed interest in extending his stay in Portland and he felt disrespected by the organization.

"I was p----d off," Matthews said in an in an interview with oregonlive.com. "I felt disrespected." The 28-year-old combo guard, who can play both guard positions, also admitted that while he was angry at the Portland front office he also knows that the NBA “is a business.”

What Matthews did not get from the Trail Blazers, he got from West rivals Mavericks, who offered a four-year deal worth over $70 million or about $17 million per season. The Blazers’ move not to re-sign Matthews is understandable as the team would rather go into rebuilding mode after losing superstar forward LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency to the San Antonio Spurs.

As for Dallas, they will acquire a player who is known for his offense and defense but who is coming from an Achilles injury and surgery that caused him to miss the latter part of the 2014-2015 season.

Before getting hurt, Matthews, who was undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 60 games in the regular season. When he returns from injury, Matthews is expected to take over the starting shooting guard spot as Dallas did not re-sign Monta Ellis in the offseason.