Heading into the offseason, the Blazers were planning to build around Damian Lillard. Though, things have not shaped up to be headed in that direction. They selected Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick and now Lillard has requested a trade. Though, Matisse Thybulle is only 26 and the Blazers have matched his offer sheet. Doing so may not have been a risky move for the Trail Blazers.
The offer that the Mavericks had given Thybulle is worth three years, $33 Million. That’s not a bad offer but it’s a lot for a 3-and-D type player whose biggest strength is his defense. His offense is passable if it’s surrounded by scorers like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving or Lillard. Though, with Lillard potentially on the way out, it may not be the best-case scenario.
Thybulle doesn’t want to be in Portland, according to a source close to the organization. Not to mention, NBA Insiders Marc Stein and Chris Haynes had mentioned the match on Friday morning’s episode of #thisleague UNCUT.
“The Dallas Mavericks implemented a poison pill and they were hoping that would prevent the Blazers from matching,” Haynes said.
The ‘poison pill’ that Haynes is talking about was Dallas adding a player option following the second year. There’s also a 15% trade kicker and the structure of the deal allows for Matisse Thybulle to be paid half the money by Oct. 1 each year. Thybulle ‘desperately’ wanted to be in Dallas.
“The vibe I’ve gotten is that Thybulle really did want to end up with Dallas,” Stein said. “This is something Thybulle’s been wanting even before this summer. Dallas has been talked about as a potential destination. The Mavericks have explored in the past pathways to trade for Thybulle.”
Some may be asking, why doesn’t Dallas just offer a trade for Thybulle if they want him? Well, because Thybulle signed the offer sheet with the Mavs, he’s unable to be traded to Dallas in the next calendar year. That doesn’t leave out the option that Portland could trade him elsewhere. Based on the idea that Thybulle doesn’t want to play in Portland, the Blazers matching the offer sheet could be a recipe for disaster. Thybulle is a client to Aaron Goodwin, the same agent that is reportedly orchestrating the Lillard trade to Miami.
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