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NBA Trades: 5 under-the-radar trade targets

By Hunter Parsons

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 19: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter at Golden 1 Center on November 19, 2021 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 19: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter at Golden 1 Center on November 19, 2021 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers – Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers – Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /

NBA: G-F Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia 76ers

Despite being named to an All-Defensive team in each of the last two seasons, including a 2021-22 campaign that saw him lead the league in STL%, young wing Matisse Thybulle has been practically removed from the Philadelphia 76ers main rotation. Thybulle and the Sixers failed to reach an agreement on a rookie scale extension over the offseason, guaranteeing that the 25-year-old will reach restricted free agency this summer. Falling out of the rotation on a Sixers team who are dangerously close to the repeater rates of the luxury tax, Thybulle should be seen as a major candidate for a deadline deal.

As of December 27th, Thybulle is averaging a career-low 11.5 minutes per game due to increasingly sporadic playing time. However, in the 14 games that Thybulle has played less than nine minutes this season, including an early DNP back in October, the Sixers are 7-7. In every other game where Thybulle is available and played at least 10 minutes, the team is 11-4. Well, why isn’t he playing?

The elephant in the room is Thybulle’s consistently awful shooting, including a career-worst 49.2 eFG% this season. Even so, the former Washington Husky has clearly lived up to the pre-draft hype for his defensive skillset, giving him value in the right situation. While teams looking to trade for him shouldn’t expect an addition even to their secondary scoring, Thybulle still brings league-best defense proven to be effective at the highest level.

At the end of the day, it may not even matter to the Sixers what Thybulle’s new contract value could come out at for them to consider trading him. According to Spotrac, the team’s payroll (not including cap holds) for next season already stands at $159.8 million, almost $26 million above the projected $134 million salary cap and only $2.2 million below the luxury tax. In the current season, the Sixers are already $1.2 million over the tax threshold, which, if the season ended today, would result in a mere $1.8 million tax bill.

The Sixers, on the other hand, have been in the luxury tax for the last two seasons. Teams who have finished in the luxury tax bracket in three of the previous four seasons, not including the current one, are subjected to increased rates under the dreaded “repeater tax.” As a result, in order to avoid harsher penalties in the future, Philadelphia must avoid the tax this season and next.

As a top-of-the-line defender in the final year of an affordable contract but no longer a part of the team’s future, Thybulle is the logical choice for a deadline trade to free up the payroll in both this season and the next. As things stand, the Sixers’ 108.7 defensive rating is 2nd in the league, suggesting the team may not need Thybulle’s defensive prowess after all.

The team certainly improved in their defensive depth over the offseason with the additions of De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House, and PJ Tucker. Because of that, I’d be pretty surprised if we see Thybulle in a Sixers uniform post-deadline. Despite his inability (so far) to find any form of a consistent shot, Thybulle’s defensive pedigree and favorable salary this season should still make him a valuable asset come February.