The majority of talk surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers' next trade candidate has pertained to Robert Williams III. But have people been looking at the wrong veteran defender? Matisse Thybulle is an obvious player for Portland to flip to a contender at February's trade deadline.
The Blazers are projected to have significant cap space next summer. They should be trying to preserve that financial flexibility so that they can use it to retain their young core long term and potentially add more star power into the mix. From that standpoint, it makes sense for Portland to sacrifice some of its depth, particularly players like Thybulle who are on expiring deals.
Blazers should look to move Matisse Thybulle at the deadline
The same logic as to why Williams is frequently mentioned as a trade candidate for Portland can be applied to Thybulle. Both are expiring veterans who are expendable for the rebuilding Blazers but could be key contributors on a contender because of their two-way prowess.
Although Thybulle's career has been impacted by injuries as well, he still has to be considered more reliable than Williams. Portland can attempt to build up trade value for both veterans as much as they want before February by proving to teams that both are impactful and healthy, but teams would likely still have a difficult time sacrificing significant assets for Williams, given his injury history.
There is too broad a gap between Williams' value around the league and how much Portland thinks he's worth. Last season, they questionably weren't willing to part ways with Williams for multiple second-round picks. Because of that, a pathway to a Thybulle trade should be considered more viable.
Thybulle played well for the Blazers in his brief return last season, averaging 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.2 steals in 20.8 minutes per game. He deserves a ton of credit for developing his shot, too. He's quietly emerged as a reliable 3-and-D option and isn't the liability on offense that some still perceive him to be.
As one of the rare defensive playmakers, it wouldn't be surprising if Thybulle draws interest from teams at the deadline. You could make a case to keep him around as he's going to help Portland achieve its win-now goals. But by February, the Blazers will likely realize their playoff goals are overly ambitious and not realistic for this season. Thybulle should be moved by then. Between his health increasing his value, his expiring contract looming, and the ascension of versatile two-way wings Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, everything is aligning for Portland to trade him.