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While previewing what the Philadelphia 76ers could do at the trade deadline, John Hollinger of The Athletic explained why the Sixers may look to trade Matisse Thybulle, and what they could get back for him.
“The Sixers could also look at moving on from Matisse Thybulle ($4.4 million) before he hits restricted free agency this summer,” Hollinger said. “Philly is already into next year’s tax thanks to Joel Embiid’s extension kicking in and may need a bigger bag for James Harden if he opts out of his $35.6 million as expected. Paying Thybulle in that environment seems unlikely, but he could probably return two second-round picks, a small trade exception, and a sidestepped tax bill this week.”
Though Thybulle could fetch a return for the Sixers, Hollinger brought up three other Sixers who could potentially be traded to save money, though he believes that would require offloading assets.
“The Sixers are a mere $1.17 million over the tax line; despite having a good team that is in contention, they also have some very tradeable players at the end of the bench not doing much. Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House, and Jaden Springer hardly play and make $12 million between them; they’re each signed for next year, which makes things more complicated, but Philly might be able to part with its 2023 Knicks second-rounder to offload one of them and get below the tax.”
Teams Interested in Thybulle
Thybulle was first brought up as a possible trade candidate when Marc Stein reported on his Substack on January 30 that the Sacramento Kings were interested in him.
“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.
On February 1, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the reigning NBA Champions were also interested in Thybulle.
“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.
Stein then reported on February 4 that the Atlanta Hawks had joined in while adding that the rumors surrounding a possible Thybulle trade were real.
“Sources say that Atlanta has joined Sacramento as a confirmed suitor for Philadelphia’s Matisse Thybulle. I don’t know that the Hawks will be the ultimate landing spot, but I’ve been advised that the prospect of Thybulle getting traded before Thursday’s buzzer is very real,” Stein said.
Proposed Trade Swaps Thybulle For Former Sixer
Ky Carlin of SixersWire proposed a trade that would send Thybulle to the Kings for former Sixer 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.
While Stein reported that buzz surrounding Thybulle trade is real, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the Kings have made Richaun Holmes available via trade.
“The Kings have made reserve center Richaun Holmes available for trade, sources told Yahoo Sports,” Fischer said.
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Potential Trade Return for Sixers Guard Matisse Thybulle Revealed