3 Potential Dallas Mavericks free agent targets with ties to Luka Doncic

2. Wesley Matthews

At this point in his career, Wesley Matthews isn’t a starting-caliber player anymore. However, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t help the Dallas Mavericks in a limited role.

He and Luka Doncic have a very brief connection, but it’s still there. Matthews was on the Mavericks for three-and-a-half seasons from 2015 to the 2018-19 season when he was traded to the New York Knicks in the deal that landed Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas.

In the 2018-19 season, Matthews played 44 games in Dallas, meaning he only appeared in half a season with Doncic. However, while he played alongside Doncic, Matthews looked great.

At the time, he was 32 years old, and now, he’ll be heading into his 37-year-old season, so there has obviously been some decline. That being said, he could still make an impact in Dallas.

Defensively, he’s still sharp. For the last two seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks have utilized Matthews as a defensive presence to employ on guys like Jayson Tatum and DeMar DeRozan.

Even this deep into his career, Matthews is still more than comfortable taking on high-profile defensive matchups, and that’s the sort of guy Dallas could use alongside Doncic.

Plus, while his 3-point shot isn’t nearly as consistent as it once was, he can still provide some floor-spacing on the offensive end.