he got a $5 million signing bonus which gets prorated over the life of the contract. The Jazz definitely could have paid it. The blame comes mostly from their poor player evaluation. Matthews has been a bargain for what he has been paid and for how he has performed.
The Jazz also should have given him a small 2 yr deal initially with the 2nd yr not guaranteed or only partially guaranteed instead of the 1 yr deal they signed him to. There is no excuse for how the Jazz handled that situation. They just blew it. Admit it and move on.
btw .. it was 5 yrs $32 million total including signing bonus.