Tobias Harris' Message for Matisse Thybulle Ahead of Deadline
The NBA trade deadline will take place on Thursday afternoon. With all of the rumors going around the league, the Philadelphia 76ers have had two names consistently pop up in rumors in Furkan Korkmaz and Matisse Thybulle.
While the former player reportedly requested a trade as he’s currently out of the Sixers’ rotation and desires to play, the latter seems to be just taking whatever comes to him, whether he’s moved to another team or sticking around in Philadelphia where he was drafted in 2019.
While Thybulle is no stranger to seeing his name in trade rumors, this season is the first time he’s been the focal point of any potential deals that go down before the deadline. His teammate, Tobias Harris, has not only been traded several times throughout his career but he’s seen his name pop up in rumors countless times throughout the years.
As Thybulle navigates through the season with trade smoke surrounding him, Harris has been supportive of the defensive standout, which is something Thybulle touched on last week following a matchup against the Orlando Magic.
“Even in games, when I miss my first shot, he’s like, ‘Great shot; get ready for the next one.’ He’s like the first one to cheer me on after it happens,” Thybulle said of Harris. “I used to think it was just because we were friends and stuff and was always so supportive. Honestly, when I heard about the kid from Dallas who retired, and I read the article, and Tobias had reached out to him, it was like, ‘Dude, you're gonna be okay.’ Like, that, for me, was so incredible to see that he's doing this not only for his teammates, he's doing this for all of his brothers in the league, and like to Tobias as a man, as a person, like that, says a lot.”
On Wednesday morning, as the Sixers prepared for their matchup against the Boston Celtics, Harris revealed his message to Thybulle as the fourth-year veteran heads into a matchup that could potentially be his last game in a Sixers uniform if a deal indeed happens before the deadline.
“Stay in the moment of what you can control right now and be ready for whatever is to come,” said Harris. “It's the nature of the business and just the game of basketball. So like, I always just tell him, whatever is gonna happen, you're gonna be fine because you've got yourself to this position by doing what you’ve been doing and staying ready for whatever it is. If it’s here or elsewhere, you gotta be ready for your opportunity and moment. That’s my biggest advice. Nothing has happened as of yet, and if something does happen, then you gotta be ready for whatever situation it is. If it’s staying here, be ready for us to make a playoff run. If it’s somewhere else and you get an opportunity, just take advantage of it.”
So far, several teams are reported to have an interest in Thybulle. While there hasn’t been much traction on talks between the Sixers and some of the interested suitors, a lot can change over the next 24 hours.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
