Ranking 5 Portland Trail Blazers most likely to be traded next
By Reese Kunz
4. Matisse Thybulle
Matisse Thybulle is one of the best defenders in the NBA and in his prime at 27 years old. The Blazers retained Thybulle in restricted free agency after he signed the three-year, $33 million offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks. His $11 million annual salary average is team-friendly, making him an attractive asset and potential trade candidate this offseason.
Thybulle has a player option after the 2024-25 NBA season and could decide to walk away from the Trail Blazers if he prioritizes contending for a championship. As a result, it's in the Blazers' best interest to be proactive with Thybulle and trade him away rather than risk the possibility of letting him walk and receiving nothing in return.
The only reason Thybulle isn't higher is because there's no rush to trade him this offseason. He fills a need for the Blazers' roster as a defensive-minded wing. Portland could hold on to Thybulle until the trade deadline and gauge where they are at in terms of their record and the Western Conference standings.
If they are far out of the playoff hunt (which seems likely), the Blazers could then decide to ship Thybulle out for a team willing to take a flier on him being a one-year rental. There would still be interested suitors, as contending teams could always use a defensive wing-stopper to contain all the superstar forwards in the playoffs.