Blazers Forward Undergoes Major Surgery, Ruled Out for At Least a Month

Apr 11, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) gets tied up during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33), left, and guard Matisse Thybulle (4) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers will be without a decorated vet for an extended time.

Per Portland's official X page, two-time All-Defensive Team swingman Matisse Thybulle tore the ulnar collateral ligament of his left thumb during a Wednesday clash with the Utah Jazz.

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Thybulle had what the Trail Blazers are calling a "successful surgery" on Friday morning. The team will reassess his thumb in four-to-six weeks.

Matisse Thybulle injured his left thumb during Wednesday’s game at Utah.

A subsequent MRI conducted Thursday revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the left thumb.

Thybulle underwent successful surgery this morning and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks. pic.twitter.com/UijJ5hzIfK

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 31, 2025

The Philadelphia 76ers traded Thybulle to the Trail Blazers in February 2023. Now, he's going to miss most of the start of a second straight season.

Thybulle was only available for a scant 15 games (five starts) with Portland at the end of the 2024-25 season.

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He averaged a career-high 7.5 points on .477/.438/.467 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.9 assists and 0.6 blocks per.

At the earliest, he'll be re-evaluated around the end of November — which, it should be noted, does not equate to him being cleared to play at that point.

The 28-year-old quickly emerged as a valuable role player on the also-ran Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons-era Philadelphia 76ers from 2019-20 through his trade halfway through 2022-23, the club's first full season post-Simmons.

Over the summer, Thybulle picked up his $11.6 million player option for 2025-26 ahead of the season, knowing he would be hard-pressed to even earn half that much annually ont he open market.

Murky Short-Term Futures for Portland, Thybulle

Portland's immediate future is a bit murky. Head coach Chauncey Billups has been placed on leave as he battles an FBI indictment, but general manager Joe Cronin's roster has been performing fairly well without him. Under interim head coach Tiago Splitter, the Trail Blazers have gone 3-1 so far.

Should the Trail Blazers' strong defense-first approach help it reach a respectable record by this February's trade deadline, the team will likely at least try to offload the expiring deals of Thybulle and oft-hurt backup center Robert Williams III, another All-Defensive Teamer who at 28 seems to be far past his prime already.

But Portland may be hard-pressed to find a willing trade partner for the vets' contracts, at least without attaching some of the Trail Blazers' own future draft assets in a deal.

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.