Matthews deal would have cost the Jazz $9.1M plus whatever tax they would have to pay because they would have been in the tax after filling out their roster. The consensus opinion at the time of his signing was Portland overpaid by a lot. Bad decision in hindsight, but understandable.
As for Hayward, it was rumored the Jazz made him the same offer they gave to Favors. Bump a previous thread and most were valuing Hayward between $9-$11m. Imagine if Lindsey had given Hayward a max deal right away. This board would have called Lindsey a horrible GM for not seeing what the market was going to offer. Even me, the biggest DL critic on the board, think Lindsey did the right thing. Hayward was coming off a bad season. He didn't think, like all of us, that Gordon was worth the max.