NBA Rumors: Mavs Waiting for 'Special' Trade for Wesley Matthews' Contract

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly in no rush to dump off Wesley Matthews.

Mike Fisher of 247Sports reported the Mavs would only trade Matthews and his expiring contract in a deal they consider "special."                 

Dallas, much like a sizable portion of the league, has its eyes on having as much open cap space as possible next summer. Matthews and his $18.6 million come off the books then and could have value for a team looking to rid itself of a long-term contract.

There aren't many potential "special" deals out there. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love seems like the most obvious trade candidate, but Fisher reported the Mavs have no desire to take on the money remaining on his contract.

The Cavs also would be unlikely to deal Love, who is still an All-Star and makes a reasonable $49.7 million over the next two seasons. Should it trade Love following LeBron James' exit, Cleveland would want at least one or two young pieces.

The handful of teams with dreadful contracts on their books—such as the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies—don't have an obvious young fit who's a perfect middle ground between good enough for Dallas to consider but not good enough to create a fanbase riot if the player were traded.

There's no D'Angelo Russell/Timofey Mozgov dump-off available, essentially.

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The likeliest scenario is for Matthews to play out his contract in Dallas, while the Mavs hoard cap space in hopes of a huge 2019.