Wesley Matthews Will Seek a Huge Deal Despite His Injury

Sam Amick of USAToday Sports is reportingthatWesley Matthewswill seek a huge payday this summer despite the Achilles injury that sidelined the final months of his 2014-15 season.

Would teams have less interest in the 28-year-old who was such a pivotal two-way player in Portland, or would they perhaps downplay their interest as a way of landing him on a discounted deal? And with Blazers teammateLaMarcus Aldridgeso widely believed to be strongly considering the notion of playing somewhere in Texas, was there a way that a team like theSan Antonio Spursor theMaverickscould get Matthews first as a way of raising Aldridge's interest in following his beloved teammate?

With the wheeling and dealing set to begin on July 1, those answers still remain to be seen. But this much is clear: Matthews has no plans on being any team's free agency bargain because of his injury.

According to a person with knowledge of Matthews' situation, he is seeking a multi-year deal that pays approximately $15 million annually. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of such discussions.

Amick details Matthews' injury, his evolution, and the mutual affinity between the shooting guard and Portland fans. As a counter to the latter, he points to the impending rise in the NBA's salary cap due to their new broadcast rights deal, pointing out that a discounted deal this year would turn to bargain-basement clear-out level in off-seasons to come as decent free agents start making comparatively huge salaries.