After starting his NBA career as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Matisse Thybulle packed up and made his way back to the Pacific Northwest when he was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers at the trade deadline. The Blazers got to watch him play in 22 games after the move, and right away, they’re faced with a major decision: How do they want to play Thybulle’s restricted free agency?
The No. 2o pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Thybulle hit the open market this summer, although Portland reserves the right to match any offer that Thybulle might receive. And on Wednesday, we learned that Thybulle has a suitor elsewhere in the Western Conference, as Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report brought word that he intends to sign an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks.
Portland Trail Blazers RFA Matisse Thybulle intends to sign an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/Zbhl2Za55o
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 5, 2023
The terms of the offer sheet are unclear right now, and it’s not known if Portland will match and bring Thybulle back. He would, however, make a ton of sense alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as a difference maker on the defensive end of the floor, especially if he’s able to consistently knock down the open looks for three that the duo would generate for him.
While his offensive games has never quite come around and his ability to consistently hit shots from three has been up-and-down during his career, Thybulle is one of the NBA’s most destructive players on the defensive end of the floor. During his time with the Sixers last year — 49 games with six starts — Thybulle averaged 2.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.5 assists, and 0.3 blocks in 12.1 minutes per game while hitting 33.3 percent of his attempts from three. He did, however, see noticeable upticks across the board in Portland, as he started all 22 games in which he appeared and averaged 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 27.7 minutes a night. As a bonus, he was a 38.8 percent shooter from deep in Portland.