The Bucks officially announced the signing of shooting guard Wesley Matthews on Friday, and general manager Jon Horst said his depth and experience is a welcome addition.
Matthews, 35, is 6-foot-4 and played for the Bucks and coach Mike Budenholzer during the 2019-20 season.
“Wesley is a proven veteran whose shooting, defense and experience will help us,” Horst said in a statement. “He is familiar with Coach Bud’s system and our team. We’re excited to have him back with us.”
Matthews became the second veteran free-agent signing of the past week, agreeing to a deal just a few days after center DeMarcus Cousins did the same.
Matthews appeared in 48 games for the Lakers last season, and has also spent time with the Pacers, Knicks, Mavericks, Trail Blazers and Jazz, where his NBA career began in 2009-10.
Booige & Wesley.#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/W4iO9g3VOE
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 4, 2021
He played his high school ball in Madison, Wis., and his college ball at Marquette. For the Bucks, he started in all 67 regular-season games and 10 playoff games in 2019-20, averaging 7.4 points.
“I’m excited as I could be,” Matthews said from practice.
His presence should offer some needed relief for the regulars in the backcourt, as noted by Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Matthews would provide some additional depth in the back court for the Bucks behind starters Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen,” Owczarski wrote. “Backup point guard George Hill, also 35 years old, has been averaging over 27 minutes per game. Pat Connaughton (28 minutes per game) has also been logging heavy minutes early in the season.”
To make room for Matthews, the Bucks waived rookie small forward Georgios Kalaitzakis, the 60th and final pick in the 2021 draft. Kalaitzakis appeared in nine games and averaged just less than 2 points for the defending champions.
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