When asked last week if he will be using his opt-out clause and either opt in with the Dallas Mavericks or opt out and test free agency, guard Wesley Matthews went political by citing that it never crossed his mind and he always leaves such matters to his agent – although he reiterated that he loves the team, the culture, and the city. Basically it's a code word for “I'm staying” or even more explicitly – he's opting in.

Sure enough, the 6-foot-5 guard earlier today picked up his $18.6 million player option – one of the first to do so this year – and will play out the remainder of his deal.

It's not a surprising choice given how the tough-as-nails, blue-collar player dubbed “Iron Man”, played only 63 games last season and put up decent numbers relative to the previous year – particularly from three-point range as he slightly upped his percentages to 38.1, and finishing with 12.7 points (at a 40.6% clip, easily his best as a Maverick), 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Solid numbers but it goes without saying that the aging 31 year-old would not command the same amount of attention and money in free agency today as he did back in 2015 despite coming off an Achilles injury. Matthews received offers from the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors before deciding to take his talents to North Texas and sign a lucrative four-year, $70-million deal.

Matthews surprised everybody by showing up ahead of schedule, playing almost the entire season, and giving Dallas a much-needed boost defensively on the wing.

Whether he will remain with the team however, is not known yet. Owner Mark Cuban recently mentioned that Matthews is open for discussion for the right price and a defensive stalwart with an expiring contract is certainly attractive for buyers.