Wesley Matthews Rumors: SG Agrees to Knicks Buyout, Will Sign with Pacers
The New York Knicks and Wesley Matthews will reportedly agree to a buyout that will make the veteran wing a free agent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Charania later reported Matthews will sign with the Indiana Pacers after his exit from New York.
The move makes sense for Indiana, as the Pacers are still in the mix for the postseason and needed to add depth to the wing with Victor Oladipo out for the season. The Pacers are currently 35-19 and fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Finishing in the top four and getting home-court advantage in the first series would be huge for the Pacers, though holding off the Philadelphia 76ers (34-20) and their bounty of fresh additions will be no small task.
Matthews, 32, is averaging 12.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three. He'll give the Pacers a nice three-and-D option and round out a solid if unspectacular group of wings, which also includes Bojan Bogdanovic, Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott.
The Pacers don't lack for shooting in that group, but Matthews will give them a solid defensive presence as well. Meanwhile, he'll get more minutes in Indiana given Oladipo's injury than he may have gotten with other contenders, which is likely a factor in his reported decision to join the Pacers.
It isn't one of the most earth-shattering moves in the NBA this week, but it's a solid move for both sides nonetheless.
