If you were hoping for a Matisse Thybulle reunion with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2026, you can cross it off the list.
On Monday, July 20, the former 76ers standout finally found a new home in free agency with the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Thybulle has secured a one-year deal with the Lakers, valued at $3.3 million.
Unless the deal is fully guaranteed for the 2026-2027 NBA season, Thybulle will likely stay off the free agency market until next summer.
Are the Sixers missing out?
By now, the entire NBA world knows what the 76ers want to do with their final roster spot. It's reserved for the veteran superstar, LeBron James.
The Sixers are far from a lock to land LeBron. Back on July 7, Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice kicked around some names that could suit the Sixers if they had to pivot from the LeBron dream.
Thybulle landed a mention, along with Ziaire Williams and Ochai Agbaji. The ex-Sixer was mentioned due to his exciting "defensive playmaking." At this point, the Lakers have added two out of the three players suggested.
Philadelphia has a firsthand idea of what Thybulle brings to the table defensively. From the start of his career in 2019, Thybulle established himself as one of the better perimeter defenders in the game.
His most notable accolades throughout his career (two-time All-Defensive) came with the Sixers during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 NBA seasons.
Since leaving the Sixers, Thybulle's defensive skill set has kept up. He averaged 1.8 steals per game during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers. If the Sixers felt like a defensive star was the next priority behind a do-it-all star in LeBron, then Thybulle made the most sense on the market.
However, the Sixers shouldn't sweat losing the chance of a reunion too much. For starters, Thybulle has had a hard time staying healthy in recent seasons.
While he managed to play 65 games during his first full run with the Blazers after getting traded by the Sixers, Thybulle has played in just 45 games over the past two seasons.
The Sixers have struggled with depth due to many injuries since Thybulle parted ways with the team. They don't need more questions in the availability department.
Lastly, Thybulle's offense was a driver behind the decision to trade him out of Philadelphia, and the same questions remain. While he shot better from deep in Portland, averaging 37.4% from three, compared to the 32.5% he shot in four seasons with the Sixers, Thybulle's best shooting years came in small sample sizes.
When he played 65 games in 2023-2024, Thybulle hit on 34.6% of his threes, while taking 3.6 attempts per game. The Lakers are wise to gamble on a season of Thybulle, but the Sixers shouldn't feel like they are missing out on a major opportunity.
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