After finishing a miserable 21-61 stretch last year, and with such a mouthwatering list of 2025 NBA Draft prospects awaiting them next summer, the Portland Trail Blazers appear poised to continue their rock bottom in 2024-25.
Ultimately, GM Joe Cronin at least seems to be aware of this. He traded veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon’s expiring $22.5 million contract in exchange for a future draft pick and the recent lottery pick of winger Deni Avdija.
Learn more: Will the traded former Blazer finish his career with the new team?
It’s pretty clear that Cronin needs to keep his momentum going. Keeping former All-Defensive Team veteran wing Matisse Thybulle around would hardly fit the Trail Blazers’ timeline. Thybulle signed a three-year, $33.1 million contract with the Trail Blazers ahead of the 2023-24 season. The final year of the deal, covering 2025-26, is an $11.6 million player option.
Chris Dodson of ClutchPointsFor his part, he doesn’t think Thybulle will stay in Portland for long.
“Matisse Thybulle continues to play well only to be sidelined once things get really interesting,” Dodson notes. “The Boston Celtics drafted Thybulle in 2019 only to have the rookie traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Portland picked up the two-time NBA All-Defense Second Teamer in a four-team deal [last] summer.”
He raises an important point. The 27-year-old veteran, who stands 6-foot-5, is such a one-sided player that his limitations even forced Team Australia to cut him from its roster ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Typically, Olympic teams that aren’t on Team USA can’t afford to turn away NBA-caliber talent. And yet, that’s exactly what the Boomers did.
Learn more: Trail Blazers News: Portland veteran cut from Olympic team
The 27-year-old veteran, who stands 6’4″ and averaged 5.4 points on a .397/.346/.759 shooting average, 2.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.4 assists and 0.7 blocks per game in 65 games (including 19 starts) in 22.9 minutes per game. How do those numbers make a first-round draft pick worth it, even outside of the lottery? He’s still an elite defender, and on a team with the kind of offensive weapons that could offset his issues as an offensive contributor, Thybulle might be worth at least a ticket. Time will tell.
“Bold prediction: Thybulle is traded to a team with a positive record at the trade deadline for a first-round pick or trade option and prospects,” Dodson concludes.
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