76ers Rumors: Matisse Thybulle Trade with Mavs Was ‘95%’ Done Before Blazers Deal

The Philadelphia 76ers moved on from Matisse Thybulle on Thursday, sending him to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that landed them Jalen McDaniels.

But according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers “came close to trading Thybulle to the Dallas Mavericks, according to sources. One source said that deal was “95 percent complete. The only holdup was the Sixers’ insistence on receiving a first-round pick as part of the package for Thybulle.”

Once the Mavs balked at that offer, the Sixers instead turned to the three-team deal and landed McDaniels. The full deal was as follows:

• Sixers get: McDaniels, New York Knicks’ 2024 second-rounder, Portland’s 2029 second-rounder.
• Blazers get: Thybulle
• Hornets get: Svi Mykhailiuk, Sixers’ 2023 second-rounder

While Thybulle is an excellent defender, his lack of perimeter shooting and struggles in last year’s playoffs had him buried toward the fringes of Doc Rivers’ rotations. The 25-year-old averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in just 12.1 minutes per game, shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three.

For context, Thybulle had never averaged less than 19 minutes per game in any of his first three seasons with the team.

Given that he fell out of favor and was set to become a restricted free agent in the summer, a divorce was logical and should give Thybulle a shot at a bigger role.

The intriguing part to imagine was what the Mavericks were offering in return for Thybulle. The team has already had quite the trade deadline, adding superstar Kyrie Irving. Thybulle would have given the team a much-needed defensive boost on the wing.

Clearly, they didn’t feel it was worthy of a first-round pick, however.