Advice for all 30 teams

Sign Garrison Mathews

Are you familiar with Garrison Mathews?

He’s a 6′5″ shooting guard that has spent the past three seasons coming off the bench in Atlanta. The Hawks never had much use for him and he accumulated nearly as many DNPs as GPs last season.

Still he remains one of the league’s top marksmen and I think he’s one of the best bargain buys available in free agency.

Before I lay out my case for why I think every team should be trying to acquire Mathews, let me briefly explain why he’s available on the cheap in the first place.

Mathews simply has not been very good up until this point of his career. He averaged seven and half points a game last year and his advanced metrics paint him as barely above replacement level. He is neither a box score stuffer nor an obvious impact player.

And yet, I can’t get it out of my head that every team could use a player like him.

Mathews is your prototypical shoot first, ask questions later gunner whose entire NBA career is defined by taking and making difficult threes. Last year, 85 percent of his shot attempts came from beyond the arc. The only players with a higher Three-Point Attempt Rate were Sam Merrill, AJ Green, and Nicolas Batum.

Mathews doesn’t provide much beyond the ability to fling it, but when a player shoots it as well and as frequently as he does that can often be enough. His presence helps supercharge lineups with high usage stars by drawing defensive attention away from the player with the ball. It’s harder for the defense to key in on a ballhandler when a player like Mathews is standing one pass away threatening to shoot it as soon as he catches it.

Because Mathews subsists almost entirely off of jump shots (he attempted just 15 shots in the restricted area last season) his box score production can wax and wane and be a frustrating nightly watch for fans of his. One game he might shoot 1/8 from the floor and the next 6/8.

But the key thing to know about high volume chuckers like Mathews is that they have value (at least on the offensive side of the ball) regardless of how often their shots are going in. That’s because the threat of their shot is just as powerful as the shot itself. Defenses will continue to closeout to them in a panic whether they made their last five or missed their last five.

Because no team has ever complained about having too much shooting, I think Mathews fits in everywhere. Last season in Atlanta he made 58 percent of his corner threes, which was the best mark among players that attempted at least 50 such shots.

Stashing a player like Mathews in the corner keeps defenses honest and prevents them from sagging off to help contain drives and dribble penetration. So even if Mathews himself isn’t getting into the paint, his on court presence makes it easier for everyone else on his team to do so.

In addition to knocking down corner threes, Mathews is unusually adept at baiting defenders into three-shot fouls. Since entering the league, Mathews has drawn a shooting foul on 103 of his three-point shots. The only players that have been fouled more often on threes since 2019 are James Harden, Damian Lillard, Steph Curry, and Trae Young.

It’s worth pausing to point out that drawing a three-point shooting foul is the single most overpowered play in basketball. The expected value on them is approximately 2.56 points once you factor in the chance for an offensive rebound off a missed free throw according to John Hollinger’s analysis in The Athletic.

That makes Mathews one of the NBA’s most effective creators of its highest-value shot — a skill he owes to his unconventional shooting mechanics.

Instead of jumping straight up and down, Mathews thrusts forward on jump shots and travels horizontally more than two feet on average, according to tracking data from Genius Sports. That’s almost twice as far as a typical shooter travels.

If a defender isn’t disciplined with their closeout they’re likely going to nick one of his outstretched legs and it’s going to result in a shooting foul.

None of the data I’ve presented suggest that Mathews is some kind of star hiding in plain sight. The data doesn’t even prove he’s better than the other dead-eye shooters in his peer group. I just think there’s enough here to show that whatever difference in quality exists between these types of players is not worth the difference in cost. Which is why I think signing Mathews to a minimum contract is as good a use of a roster spot as any.

With every team afraid of the 2nd Apron and looking to cut costs wherever they can, it’s not clear to me why Mathews remains unsigned. He strikes me as the exact kind of low cost, high upside free agent that capped out teams should be taking a swing on.

So with all that in mind, here’s one reason for each team to sign Garrison Mathews for the 2025-26 season and beyond.

Atlanta Hawks

New Hawks GM Onsi Saleh has gone all in on shooting this summer. He already traded for Kristaps Porzingis while adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard in free agency. But why stop there? Shooting is the most stackable skill in the NBA. Bringing back Garrison Mathews would give the Hawks more shooting depth than any other team.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics could benefit from shedding salary during what appears to be a gap year in Boston. Swapping Mathews for Sam Hauser would give them some financial relief while still supplying the threes that Joe Mazzulla craves.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets ran more handoffs than any other team last season. Meanwhile, Garrison Mathews has been one of the league’s most productive players at receiving handoffs since coming into the league.

Charlotte Hornets

Between Tre Mann, Collin Sexton, and Antonio Reeves the Hornets have a thing for acquiring offensive-tilted shooting guards. No harm in adding one more to the mix.

Chicago Bulls

Last season, the Bulls were fifth in Three-Point Attempt Rate after finishing 29th the season before. Bringing in Mathews could help the Bulls finish near the top of at least one leaderboard next season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Adding Garrison Mathews on a minimum contract gives the Cavaliers some low-cost insurance against Sam Merrill turning into a pumpkin after signing a four-year $38,000,000 contract this offseason.

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas is going all in on Big Boy Ball. Adding Garrison Mathews allows them to add some much-needed shooting in the backcourt without compromising their goal of only using players 6′5″ or taller that can’t dribble.

Denver Nuggets

No team needs a true three-point gunner more than the Nuggets, who attempted fewer threes than anyone else last season. Taking a flyer on Garrison Mathews would help them avoid finishing at the bottom of the three-point table once again next year.

Detroit Pistons

Cade Cunningham had his best season as a pro playing alongside shooters like Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. The Pistons replaced Beasley with Duncan Robinson, but there’s still a THJ-sized hole in this roster. Enter Garrison Mathews, who is younger and probably better.

Golden State Warriors

Not even Steph Curry, the greatest shooter of all time, can make up for the lack of spacing that comes with a lineup featuring Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors would be wise to add a shooter like Garrison Mathews to help re-balance the scales.

Houston Rockets

Garrison Mathews played two seasons in Houston before being traded to Atlanta. Mathews was too good at a time when Houston was trying to be anything but. Now that the player and team are both trying to win, it’s time for a reunion.

Indiana Pacers

You can’t replace Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner. But you can recreate them in the aggregate. The Pacers kicked off their Moneyball moonshot by adding Jay Huff. Kevin Pritchard can go full Billy Beane by adding Garrison Mathews next.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers as a team drew a grand total of eight charges last season. Mathews by himself drew ten. Perhaps his willingness to sacrifice his body will rub off on the rest of the team.

Los Angeles Lakers

The simplest and most effective NBA roster construction of the 21st century is LeBron plus shooters. It just works.

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis traded Desmond Bane and brought back a four pack of first round picks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. There’s still a little light on shooting in the backcourt and the pride of Franklin, Tennessee could get the hometown bump playing closer to home.

Miami Heat

The Heat traded away Duncan Robinson this season. Fortunately for them, there’s an equivalent player still available for a fraction of the cost.

Milwaukee Bucks

Lineups featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo and AJ Green (a.k.a. Dairy Bird) outscored opponents by 14 points per 100 possessions last season. Adding Garrison Mathews (a.k.a. Gary Bird) gives Giannis another Bird to fly with.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves treated the beginning of free agency like I treat the beginning of my fantasy football auction drafts. They spent all their money early and are now hoping to hit on minimums to fill out the rest of their roster. Taking a flyer on Mathews is a worthwhile bet and gives the Wolves a natural Donte DiVincenzo replacement if they decide to shop him at the deadline.

New Orleans Pelicans

Garrison Mathews has only missed three games in his career due to injury. The snake-bitten Pelicans could use a few more iron men like Mathews.

New York Knicks

The Knicks outscored opponents by seven points per 100 possessions with Landry Shamet on the court in last year’s playoffs. If they can’t resign Shamet, they should pivot to Garrison Mathews, who provides the same level of firepower at a similarly low cost.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Isaiah Joe is a $12 million luxury item that the Thunder can afford—for now. Garrison Mathews is a discount version of Joe that allows the Thunder to keep the machine running and the tax man at bay for a few more years.

Orlando Magic

Orlando traded for Desmond Bane in an attempt to have one player on their roster that can reliably make a three-point shot. They could double the number of players on their roster with that ability by simply adding Garrison Mathews on a minimum.

Philadelphia 76ers

Garrison Mathews shares an agent with Quentin Grimes, who is currently engaged in contract negotiations with the 76ers. Philadelphia has the chance to do the funniest thing possible by agreeing to a deal with Mathews before Grimes.

Phoenix Suns

Devin Booker generated more corner threes than any other passer last season. So why not sign the player that was best at shooting them?

Portland Trail Blazers

Here are the Blazers top three-point shooters, ranked by their three-point percentage last season:

1. Matisse Thybulle (43.8%)

2. Toumani Camara (37.5%)

3. Jerami Grant (36.5%)

4. Deni Avdija (36.5%)

5. Scoot Henderson (35.4%)

Signing Garrison Mathews could save the Blazers from surpassing last year’s Magic as the worst outside shooting team in modern history.

Sacramento Kings

Vivek Ranadivé once pitched the idea of playing defense 4-on-5 with a full-time cherry picker on offense. I cannot think of a more perfect role for Garrison Mathews and would give neutral fans a reason to watch the Kings next season.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs entered The F5’s highly exclusive Smart Team Inner Circle by signing Luke Kornet in free agency. They could go 2/2 with their moves this offseason by signing Garrison Mathews next.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are somehow both bad and expensive. They should try adding some good and inexpensive players. I suggest Garrison Mathews.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz should not be trying to win games next year. Instead, they should be trying to buy low and sell high on players they’ve acquired. Sign Garrison Mathews to the minimum and let him bomb threes for half a season before flipping him at the deadline for positive ROI.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards were the first team to take a chance on Garrison Mathews when they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2019. It’s time to take another chance and bring him back to where it all began.