The Portland Trail Blazers still have three spots left to fill on their 15-man roster. They extended Robert Williams III, signed Branden Carlson, and acquired Ja Morant for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. The next item on the agenda absolutely needs to be addressing their lack of wing depth, which is why it suddenly makes perfect sense to bring back Matisse Thybulle.
Now entering Day 3 of free agency, the Australian two-way wing has yet to find a new home. Fans of opposing teams want that home to be in their new city, but Portland must do everything it can to prevent that from happening.
Blazers have every reason to bring back Matisse Thybulle
Last season, Thybulle was limited to just 30 games, averaging 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds during that stretch. But as a two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection, he's always been the type of player who impacts winning well beyond the box score.
Even better for Portland, Thybulle has quietly redefined his career, becoming a reliable 3-and-D wing. He was an offensive liability entering the league, but has hovered around 40 percent the past two seasons in Portland.
The two things the Blazers still need to address this summer are shooting and wing depth, and Thybulle returning would be the perfect fit.
He wasn't quite as essential last season. But now, not only are Grant and Murray out of the picture, but Portland has shied away from its defensive identity with the acquisition of Morant. They plan to start Damian Lillard alongside Morant in the backcourt, and Portland must learn from the mistakes of the Lillard-CJ McCollum era.
They need these defensive playmakers on the wings like Thybulle to cover for any limitations in the backcourt. Toumani Camara can only do so much. Sidy Cissoko should help in that department as well, but he's also only 22 years old and a far less reliable floor spacer than Thybulle.
This Blazers team wants to win now, and that sense of urgency is only heightened with Lillard's return and the closing window of his Hall of Fame career that comes with it. Outside of injury concerns, the Blazers have every reason to bring back Thybulle.
Hopefully, that feeling is mutual, and this gets sorted out sooner rather than later. With forwards quickly being picked up in free agency, Thybulle continues to climb up the board. And each day that passes with Portland not deciding to bring back their two-way wing, the more they run the risk of losing him elsewhere.
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