Shooting guard Wesley Matthews found his new team with the Dallas Mavericks after they signed him to a max deal as a free agent last month; but despite that, he is still unhappy with the way the Portland Trail Blazers treated him this offseason.
Matthews spent the past five seasons with the Blazers and was one of the major contributors to the team's recent resurgence in the league.
Unfortunately for the 28-year-old athlete, in the second half of the 2014–15 season, he sustained an Achilles tendon injury that made him miss the remainder of the regular season and Portland's playoff run.
Matthews was limited to 60 games, although he had great numbers averaging 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per outing.
The Blazers finished 51–31 without Matthews, reaching the playoffs as the sixth seeded team in the Western Conference but were eliminated in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Matthews became a free agent following the season and despite his contributions to the Blazers, the team did not offer him any contract or even tried to reach out to him during free agency.
In an interview with the The Oregonian, Matthews expressed his feelings about the Blazers not communicating with him when he was still in the free agent market.
"I was pissed off. I felt disrespected," Matthews said. "I was angry but I also realize that this is a business."
The Oregonian reported that Blazers top executive Neil Olshey said the only chance Matthews had of being signed to a new deal was if All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge had stayed.
Aldridge left Portland in free agency to join five-time champion the San Antonio Spurs.
Even before Aldridge's agreement with the Spurs, Portland was preparing for the worst as they traded forward Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets.
Another loss for the Blazers was starting center Robin Lopez who joined the New York Knicks this offseason.
Among the Blazers' starting five last season, only All-Star point guard Damian Lillard was left as the franchise starts to rebuild following the departure of Aldridge, which was the biggest blow they suffered.
