Wesley Matthews’ future with the Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are in the throes of yet another interesting offseason in 2024. They qualified for the play-in tournament before being eliminated, which was a stroke of luck for the franchise. The Hawks became eligible for the draft lottery, which they won, by incredible luck, for the first time since 1975.

However, that means they have to make a number of decisions regarding their roster structure and one of them is whether to pass on or pursue Wesley Matthews. The 37-year-old veteran of 14 seasons was helpful to the franchise last season, averaging 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game. In fact, Matthews started three of the 36 games he played in last season.

However, at what point do the Hawks move on from players with this level of experience in favor of younger, fresher players? While it’s important to have a veteran leader in the locker room, Matthews doesn’t provide the same presence that Vince Carter did when he was with the franchise. To be honest, few players would have the same impact.

The problem for Matthews is that the Hawks, as their roster is currently constituted, don’t have many spots they can use on a veteran at the end of the bench. They currently have 12 players under contract and another player who will join the team via the draft. This means that there are only two full places left.

The Hawks are expected to re-sign Saddiq Bey, despite the injury he suffered. That means they will only have 14 active players until he returns from knee surgery. Given that the Hawks are trying to get back into the playoffs, wasting this spot on a 38-year-old veteran with no league experience is not a wise move.

On top of that, Matthews was ineffective when he hit the floor, only going 34.8 percent from deep. This is where he made 1.9 of his 2.7 shot attempts per game last season and doesn’t help space the floor. Although he showed good defensive tendencies towards the end of last season, they were in specific situations, which is not enough to guard Matthews.

As much as I’ve loved watching Matthews play over the past 14 seasons, if he wants to continue playing in the league next season, he needs to be somewhere else. The Hawks need to rely on their core and the as-yet-unnamed first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Matthews doesn’t fit their plans.