76ers Rumors: Matisse Thybulle on Sacramento Kings' Radar?

With the 2023 NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, the market is beginning to heat up. While the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t really been linked to any potential deals lately, their defensive standout Matisse Thybulle was recently mentioned as a possible target for a Western Conference team.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, Thybulle is on the Sacramento Kings’ radar. With Sacramento suddenly looking like playoff contenders in the Western Conference, they’ve become buyers at the upcoming trade deadline.

Here’s the latest on their potential plans to target the defensive standout:

“Sacramento is said to be monitoring the availability of Philadelphia’s Matisse Thybulle as the Kings, unexpectedly holding the West’s No. 3 seed after a league-record 16 consecutive seasons out of the playoffs, ponder the pursuit of a more defensive-minded option on the perimeter. One source with knowledge of the Kings’ thinking, meanwhile, insists that rival teams hoping for Richaun Holmes to become a buyout candidate if Sacramento can’t trade him (as mentioned here last week) are poised to be disappointed. A buyout would be complicated for both sides with two years and nearly $25 million left on Holmes’ contract after this season.”

Going into the 2022-2023 NBA season, Thybulle was entering the final year of his current contract with the Sixers. Although there were reports that Thybulle’s representatives had brief discussions about a potential extension before the deadline, an agreement wouldn’t take place.

Therefore, Thybulle is slated to become a restricted free agent in the summer.

It’s unclear if the Sixers still see a future for Thybulle in Philadelphia or not. While he was once deemed nearly untouchable in trade talks in the past, Thybulle has struggled to carve out a consistent role in the Sixers’ rotation at times.

This season, Thybulle appeared in 44 games. He’s averaged 12 minutes on the floor, which is a career-low for the fourth-year wing. And while Thybulle’s defense remains valuable, his offensive growth hasn’t consistently been on display.

Averaging three points per game, Thybulle has knocked down 43 percent of his shots and knocked down 32 percent of his threes, which is on par with his average shooting percentage throughout the first three years of his career.

While there is a possibility Thybulle could get moved before the deadline, it doesn’t seem like the Sixers, and the Kings are discussing a potential deal at this time.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.