The Raptors cannot offer Wes Matthews as much money as Dallas

The Mavericks and Raptors are locked into a battle for Wes Matthews' services, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

Part of the Mavericks' plan to sign DeAndre Jordan is to bring on Wes Matthews. The two parties were reportedly about $3 million apart when they met Tuesday night and the Raptors emerged as a candidate on Wednesday, meeting and pitching a spot to Matthews.

But here's the thing: after signing Demarre Carroll, the Raptors probably only have $11 million or so left even after cutting or trading Luke Ridnour's non-guaranteed contract.

Here's a look at their cap.

The one thing the Raptors can do is sign Carroll to a rising contract -- that starts lower and increases 10 percent each year. That would net them a little more. But the Mavericks, who were reportedly offering Matthews $12 million on Tuesday, would still have the upper hand even if they didn't meet Matthews' $15 million request. And unless Toronto dumps salary, they definitely cannot reach that $15 million number.

Then again, Terrence Ross and James Johnson are moveable assets who would both free up something near $15 million. If Portland sign-and-traded Matthews to Toronto for Ross, then they would get a young player with upside. Ross was a big part of the Raptors' last year and there's no indication whether they'd give him up for nothing, but with DeRozan, Carroll and Matthews, there definitely wouldn't be as many minutes for him. Perhaps that is a move they would make.

Shoot. Stein was right. This is a bidding war and the outcome may determine the Mavericks' outcome.

This post has been updated to reflect Marc Stein's new report.