Lakers, Matisse Thybulle Reportedly Agree to Contract Amid Jonathan Kuminga Rumors, Updated Roster

The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with veteran wing Matisse Thybulle, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Thybulle will be the 16th player signed for the team heading into the 2026-27 season. Here's the full squad and individual cap hits for the year:

• Luka Dončić ($49,488,300)
• Austin Reaves ($41,240,250)
• Walker Kessler ($30,108,821)
• Quentin Grimes ($13,953,489)
• Sandro Mamukelashvili ($13,000,000)
• Jarred Vanderbilt ($12,428,571)
• Collin Sexton ($9,366,000)
• Jaden Hardy ($6,000,000)
• Jake LaRavia ($6,000,000)
• Dalton Knecht ($4,201,080)
• Cameron Carr ($3,315,360)
• Matisse Thybulle ($3,300,000)*
• Kevon Looney ($2,449,421)
• Ziaire Williams ($2,449,421)
• Bronny James ($2,296,271)
• Adou Thiero ($2,150,917)

The timing of Thybulle's deal may not be a coincidence. The Athletic's Dan Woike reported Monday how "it appears that momentum has stalled" on a breakthrough with free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Thybulle and Kuminga aren't carbon copies of one another, but signing the former gives L.A. less flexibility moving forward. The team will be at the roster limit, so any further additions will require a trade or the release of somebody under contract.

Thybulle was a two-time All-Defensive honoree earlier in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he has shown encouraging signs at the other end of the floor. He shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc over the past two seasons.

There's a reason the 29-year-old remained unsigned to this point, though, and ultimately settled for the veteran's minimum.

Thybulle logged just 45 combined appearances since 2024-25, and he was a complete nonfactor in the Portland Trail Blazers' first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. He averaged 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while playing 13.3 minutes per contest, and he shot 2-of-14 overall from the field.

In theory, Thybulle will boost the Lakers' perimeter defense and potentially be a floor-spacing option. There were worse ways Los Angeles could've spent $3.3 million.

The move isn't without some risk, though, and Thybulle's historic shooting struggles could force coach JJ Redick to adapt in a playoff series.

These are the sorts of marginal additions that can pay off in a big way for teams that go on to lift a title.