Former Sixer Matisse Thybulle’s Payday is Coming

When the Philadelphia 76ers traded away Matisse Thybulle at last year’s deadline, the team claimed they were hoping to find more two-way value on the court during the playoffs. The prospect they landed in the multi-team deal was Jalen McDaniels.

Part of the Sixers’ decision to move on from Thybulle could’ve been the fact that the veteran defensive standout was going to have a market of suitors ready to give him a nice payday in the offseason. After the Sixers did not reach an extension with Thybulle last summer, it was clear he was set to become a free agent this offseason, whether he remained in Philly past the trade deadline or not.

According to a report from The Athletic, the Dallas Mavericks have made a three-year offer to Thybulle, which is worth in the $33 million range. Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Thybulle intends to sign the offer sheet on Thursday.

The ball was then in the Portland Trail Blazers’ court. Considering Thybulle is a restricted free agent on the market this season, Portland was issued two days to match the offer. If the Blazers were to refuse to do so, Thybulle would be set to join his third team since entering the NBA.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Blazers aren't willing to let go. On Thursday, Portland opted to match the salary that Dallas offered on Wednesday.

Since entering the league as the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Thybulle has established himself as one of the NBA’s top perimeter defenders. Getting his start with the Sixers, Thybulle averaged two steals per game in Philadelphia. In 2021 and 2022, Thybulle was named All-Defensive Second Team despite not being a full-time starter.

As great as Thybulle’s defense was in Philadelphia, his offense had its limitations. As a result, there were times Thybulle found himself falling out of favor in the rotation. After averaging at least 20 minutes on the court through his first three seasons in Sixers threads, Thybulle averaged just 12 minutes during the 2022-2023 season.

Through a multi-team deal at the trade deadline last season, the Sixers sent Thybulle to Portland. With the Blazers, Thybulle continued dominating defensively while improving his production on offense with a larger role. Spending more than 27 minutes per game on the court, Thybulle averaged seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 games with Portland.

With the 2022-2023 season in the rearview, it might be safe to say the Sixers’ side of the deal didn’t pan out the way they had hoped. After landing McDaniels, the trade acquisition averaged the same amount of points as Thybulle while producing fewer rebounds, steals, and assists. Although McDaniels played a reduced role in Philadelphia, compared to Thybulle’s increased playing time in Portland, McDaniels couldn’t live up to the Sixers’ postseason expectations.

Not only did McDaniels produce just three points per game while shooting 33 percent from deep, but he fell out of the rotation as the second round progressed. Once hoping McDaniels would turn out to be a long-term addition to the squad, the Sixers have cut ties with the 25-year-old this summer, as they allowed him to walk in free agency, joining the Toronto Raptors on a two-year, affordable deal.

Regardless of the player swap failing to pan out for Philly, the Sixers could feel some sense of relief knowing that Thybulle was likely to be priced out of their range in free agency anyway. Since his playoff struggles last season, Thybulle’s value to the rest of the league was unclear. However, Protland’s initial qualifying offer, followed by Dallas’s multi-year deal, proves that the former Sixer hasn’t lost his appeal to wing-needy teams around the league.