Getty Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers
Daryl Morey has his work cut out for him, as he tries to mold the Philadelphia 76ers roster into one capable of winning the NBA Championship.
During the playoffs, we saw the Sixers’ lack of depth, bench scoring, and perimeter defense get exposed by the Miami Heat, and now the race is on to plug some of those gaps in the roster.
Unfortunately, that means multiple members of the current roster are now seen as expendable, with Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle the two prime candidates for a trade in the coming weeks. Yet, the hardest part of any trade discussion is setting a reasonable value on the outgoing player, and now, according to reports by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, we have our first look at what Philadelphia is asking in return for Thybulle.
matisse thybulle trade today
“Philadelphia has continued to explore Tobias Harris trade packages. The Sixers have called a healthy portion of teams to gauge the value for each of Harris, Danny Green, and Matisse Thybulle, sources said, and have called several teams specifically searching for a first-round pick in exchange for Thybulle as part of a three-team deal framework to land an impact veteran rotation player,” Fischer wrote on June 22.
Thybulle is a legitimate defensive player, capable of guarding multiple positions on the perimeter, but his offensive limitations hurt the Sixers in the post-season, and now it looks like they’re willing to move on from him, for the right price of course.
Sixers Expect Thybulle to Improve His Offense
Being made available for a trade and actually getting traded are two totally different things, and as such, the Sixers have been open in their expectations for Thubulle this off-season.
Speaking to the media on May 13, Daryl Morey and head coach Doc Rivers noted how they have high hopes for Thybulle this off-season, with a clear onus on him to improve his offensive game.
“He’s putting in the work. It’s gradual. It’s called being patient and we are. I think it makes us more patient because he works at it. We would be less patient if we didn’t think he was working at it. There were improvements. He became a better cutter, he ran the floor better, and the next step is for him to improve his shot. That’s his marching orders for the summer,” Doc Rivers told the media during his exit interview.
Morey also noted how the third-year wing’s offense needs to improve, and that Thybulle is working hard to become a two-way player at the NBA level, “He’s looking at himself like, how can I improve and contribute in other ways? I think for Matisse his mission, which he knows, is how can he improve in ways that make him someone who can make more of an impact in the playoffs and I think he will in the future,” Morey said.
Thybulle Struggled in Post-Season
Let’s be fair, pretty much every member of the Sixers roster experienced a turbulent post-season, yes some had it harder than others, but the roster construction wasn’t conducive to winning at a high level.
Recent news:
Sixers are actively shopping pick #23 and Matisse Thybulle to clear cap space to offer PJ Tucker a 3yr/30 mil contract. There is mutual interest between PJ and the Sixers (Keith Pompey)
The Sixers are also interested in acquiring SG Eric Gordon via trade.
A return of 3 points, one rebound, and 0.4 assists per game in this season’s playoffs is not enough to warrant the 15.2 minutes of playing time Thybulle averaged. As such, if he comes back with the same offensive limitations after the off-season, the Sixers will have to begin exploring other avenues, regardless of his defensive upside.
Of course, Thybulle will only be entering his fourth NBA season at that point, and still has room to improve, but the Sixers title window is now, and they don’t have time to wait for those improvements to materialize – if they ever do.