The trade deadline is over, but the Portland Trail Blazers aren’t done making moves. It’s been reported by multiple sources that the team is looking to convert Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love to standard contracts, which means they’d need to free up two roster spots. The latest update from ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel suggests Matisse Thybulle may be sacrificed to make the conversions happen.
Matisse Thybulle is a buyout candidate in Portland, but no decision has been made on his future yet.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) February 6, 2026
Portland would like to open two roster spots in order to convert two-way players Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love.
If Portland is going to cut two players to clear room for Cissoko and Love, Thybulle should absolutely be one of them.
Matisse Thybulle is the odd man out in Portland’s roster crunch
The logic behind releasing Thybulle is pretty clear: the guy just isn’t available. Across four seasons with the Blazers, he’s appeared in just 106 games. In 2023-24, he played 65, but that sank to 15 in 2024-25, and so far this season, he’s been on the floor only four times. The veteran wing is dealing with right knee tendinopathy and still has no timeline for return despite not playing since October.
Injury issues have really started to ravage what was a productive career for Thybulle. He’s one of the sport’s best defensive disruptors, and he has the All-Defensive awards to prove it. “Mathief” has put in serious work on his jumper over time, too, coming closer to warranting the coveted “3&D” moniker. In 2024-25, he had a career year shooting the ball, connecting on 43.8% of his 3.2 three-point attempts per game.
When healthy, Thybulle can be a useful piece for the Blazers squad, but he’s never healthy anymore. The old saying "availability is the best ability” applies perfectly to the former first-round pick. He’s a gifted player, but he can’t make an impact if he can’t suit up.
Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love, on the other hand, have been the opposite of unavailable for Portland this year. They’ve stepped up in the absence of other key players and filled in admirably. Both have become close to indispensable for Tiago Splitter, with Love’s shotmaking and Cissoko’s energy being huge difference-makers on the court.
Portland is trying to make a playoff push, and every game down the stretch will count. Cissoko and Love are doing more than Thybulle to help the team compete right now. So, while it’s a harsh truth, parting ways with Thybulle would be the smart move for the Blazers.
Rayan Rupert, Blake Wesley and Kris Murray stand out as Portland’s other obvious waiver candidates. At least one of the three will need to go in addition to Thybulle if both Cissoko and Love are going to be converted.