Report: Matisse Thybulle to Blazers, Jalen McDaniels to 76ers in 3-Team Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly traded defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that includes the Charlotte Hornets.

TNT and B/R's Chris Haynes first reported Thybulle was being dealt to Portland.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers will acquire Jalen McDaniels, while the Hornets will receive multiple second-round picks.

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reported the Sixers will also send the Hornets' 2023 second-round pick back to Charlotte, while Charlotte will send them a 2024 second-round pick (via the New York Knicks) and Portland will send them a 2029 second-round pick. However, he cautioned that the deal "could be expanding involving more picks."

The Sixers kept Thybulle out of last February's trade for James Harden, with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey noting it was big for the team to retain both Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey:

But at some point, the Sixers clearly cooled on him.

The 25-year-old was named to the All-Defensive second team for the second straight season in the 2021-22 campaign after averaging 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He shot 50 percent from the field but just 31.3 percent from three, keeping him from being the sort of three-and-D wing that teams covet.

Thybulle's offensive woes became even more detrimental in the postseason when he shot 28.6 percent from three, averaged three points per game in nine contests and lost his starting spot to Danny Green.

Part of that was because Thybulle, who wasn't fully vaccinated, was unable to play road games in the team's first-round series against the Toronto Raptors because of Canadian laws at the time. But Thybulle also was such a non-factor on offense that teams helped off him, shrinking the floor for players like Joel Embiid, while Green provided another perimeter threat and more spacing.

Given that the Sixers went into the 2022 offseason with a number of needs—more athleticism, namely on the wing, and more depth in general—Thybulle became one of the names rumored to be on the trade block.

There was little doubt that the Sixers would try to shake things up around Embiid, Maxey and James Harden in the pursuit of a title. After they added defensive-minded players like P.J. Tucker, Danuel House and De'Anthony Melton, Thybulle's potential role became murkier.

While he remains one of the game's most dynamic perimeter team defenders, his shooting struggles to this point in his career have made him more of a specialist than a reliable starter on the wing. Portland will be banking on Thybulle developing a better jumper.

Given his defensive acumen, it was a gamble worth taking. The Blazers will welcome any defensive help they can get. They rank 18th in points allowed and 26th in defensive rating entering Thursday.

Portland has a top-five offensive rating this season. If Thybulle can move this team closer to average on defense, the Blazers have the potential to be a playoff team in the Western Conference.

The Sixers come out of this deal with more depth at the wing.

McDaniels is averaging a career-high 10.6 points per game, and he has more shooting ability than his 32.2 three-point percentage this season would suggest. The San Diego State alum shot 38.0 percent from behind the arc last season, and he's making 84.6 percent of his free-throw attempts in 56 appearances this season.

The Hornets get salary relief and extra draft capital as they try to figure out what the future direction of their franchise. Their 15-41 record is the second-worst in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only the 14-42 Detroit Pistons.