Getty Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers
On January 30, Marc Stein reported on his Substack that the Sacramento Kings were monitoring the availability of Matisse Thybulle, believing that the Philadelphia 76ers wing would provide them with perimeter defense that could help them on their playoff quest.
“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,” Stein said.
In light of the Kings’ interest in Thybulle, Ky Carlin of SixersWire proposed a trade that would send Thybulle to the Kings for former Sixers center Richaun Holmes.
“Holmes has fallen out of favor in Sacramento, and his ability to catch lobs and block shots would be a nice addition to Philadelphia. It’s already known that the Kings are interested in Matisse Thybulle, so maybe something can work out that sends Holmes to Philadelphia,” Carlin said.
Thybulle is slated to make $4.3 million this season, while Holmes is slated to make $11.2 million this season, meaning that they would have to include more salaries to make a trade work. However, should the Sixers agree to a trade like this, Holmes could be inserted as Joel Embiid’s backup.
Insiders Believe Thybulle Won’t Get Traded
On the February 2 episode of “This League Uncut,” TNT Sideline reporter Chris Haynes and Marc Stein both expressed their skepticism that Thybulle will be traded at the deadline.
“I would be very surprised if Matisse is moved by the deadline,” Haynes said, “There has always been a talk about how he’s not efficient on offense. He’s not a consistent outside threat, but the havoc he causes on the defensive end when he’s playing consistent minutes. He’s a difference-maker. The steals, the blocks to the, you know, to get into the space, get into guys, he’s one of the best at doing that. Probably the best when we think about all those attributes that he brings to the table defensively.”
Stein expressed a similar sentiment on the podcast while adding that he’s not even sure if Philadelphia will look to trade Thybulle, period.
“Sacramento has their eye on him. I don’t know if there’s a deal there. It isn’t even fully clear there if Philly is going to make Thybulle available,” Stein said.
If Sixers put him on the market, the Golden State Warriors are another team interested in Thybulle’s abilities on the defensive end, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Multiple NBA sources said the Golden State Warriors have had internal discussions about Thybulle and that they do like him as a defensive stopper,” Pompey wrote.
Thybulle Considered Key to ‘Higher-End’ Deal
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice said that if the Sixers want an upgrade or a “higher-end” trade, they would have to include Thybulle to get one. He also said that other teams are interested in him.
“If the Sixers pursue a ‘higher-end’ deal, Thybulle is their likely path to getting there,” Neubeck said. “There is at least a small handful of teams interested in Thybulle leaguewide.”
Thybulle has not been featured as much in the Sixers’ rotation this season, having played an average of 12.1 minutes this season compared to 25.5 last season, and yet teams like the Warriors and Kings are interested in him. If the Sixers play their cards right, they could get an upgrade for him, but it would all depend on what they get back for him.