Getty Matisse Thybulle might need a replacement.
The chances of Matisse Thybulle returning to the Philadelphia 76ers keep growing slimmer by the day. The defensive stopper is the team’s biggest trade chip — other than the untouchable Tyrese Maxey — and his name has been lighting up phone lines around the NBA.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Sixers president Daryl Morey has put calls in to every general manager with a pulse. He didn’t name specific teams but the implication was that all 29 franchises were in play. Philadelphia is looking to package Thybulle with the No. 23 pick for an impact player.
The Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets have been mentioned in recent weeks as possible trading partners. Keep an eye on the Toronto Raptors, too. The Sixers are looking to create some extra cap room to possibly sign P.J. Tucker.
Adrian Wojnarowski:
“If you’re a GM in the NBA and Daryl Morey hasn’t called and offered you #23 and Matisse Thybulle for someone on your roster, you probably have had your phone shut off.”
The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey detailed a scenario where Thybulle and Tobias Harris could be on the move. He cited sources saying that the Sixers intend to offer Tucker a three-year deal worth $30 million. Problem is, they don’t have the cap space available right now to offer him $10 million per year.
Thybulle is due $4.4 million for the 2022-23 season, while Harris has two years and $76.9 million remaining on his deal. Pompey believes the Sixers are looking for a third team to get involved in a trade:
The Sixers are looking for a third team to help facilitate the trade. In order to get Thybulle and the first-rounder, sources say Sixers are asking a third team to give up a first-round pick to make the deal work.
The Sixers have said they want to keep their core players — Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Harris, and Harden — intact. However, league sources are saying the team is looking for suitors for Harris, who has two years and $76.9 million remaining on his deal.
The Sixers intend to offer PJ Tucker a three-year, $30 million contract, per @PompeyOnSixers
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Tyrese Maxey Files Trademark Application
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has filed a trademark application for his own name, according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben. He intends to launch a brand development and consulting service while leveraging his ownership stake in Max Levels Group LLC, a basketball organization based in Dallas that trains prep players.
Tyrese Maxey has filed a trademark application for his own name.
The filing, made on June 16th, indicates that @TyreseMaxey intends to launch a brand development and consulting service.
Maxey’s business will cover “brand concept and development services for corporate and individual clients; Business consulting services; Professional business consulting.” The trademark application was filed on June 16.
Sixers Minority Owner Selling Stake
Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin is selling his stake in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, according to ESPN. Rubin holds a 10% stake in the company that owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin – a prominent minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers — is selling his stake in the Harris-Blitzer Sports Entertainment company that owns the Sixers and New Jersey Devils, team officials told ESPN on Wednesday.
The decision to sell stemmed from a looming conflict of interest with Fanatics, the $20 billion company that Rubin oversees as CEO. Fanatics sells officially-licensed sports apparel and their expansion into sports betting and individual player partnerships were going to create problems with the NBA’s collective bargaining rules.
“Michael will always be a member of our HBSE and Sixers family, continue to be a presence courtside and a key partner in our collective commitment to be a force for good in Philadelphia,” HBSE founder and managing general partner Josh Harris said in a statement, via Adrian Wojnarowski.