Wesley Matthews

[daddyfivestar]

Is he completely UFA or does Utah have an option/match rights anything?

Also, what is the max $ amount he could get this summer?

Thanks in adv,
d5s

[Dunkenstein]

Matthews is a restricted free agent. The most he could get would be a full-term MLE.

[FGump]

Matthews is a restricted free agent. The most he could get would be a full-term MLE.

As I understand it, he could actually get more than that (not that it's likely, of course). The amount another team can offer is limited during the first two years of the contract, but it can be much bigger than full-MLE amount thereafter I think.

[Dunkenstein]

Matthews is a restricted free agent. The most he could get would be a full-term MLE.

As I understand it, he could actually get more than that (not that it's likely, of course). The amount another team can offer is limited during the first two years of the contract, but it can be much bigger than full-MLE amount thereafter I think.

When I made my original answer I was thinking about the maximum that Utah could offer him. But another team can offer him a larger contract which Larry Coon discusses here:

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q36

And FGump is correct the first two years of another team's offer are limited to the MLE in the first year and the 108% of the MLE in the second.

[FGump]

Dunk, and (to follow up on your reply) Utah's "maximum" is to be able to match that offer sheet another team could theoretically give him (by, in this case, using their MLE for the cap exception needed for the first year).

[daddyfivestar]

Cool. Thx.
So essentially, Utah will keep him unless they're not willing to go MLE. That's a good rule so teams that snag a diamond in the rough like this don't immediately lose him, unless they choose to.