Lakers ink Matisse Thybulle to one-year deal

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Los Angeles Lakers have secured the services of veteran small forward Matisse Thybulle after signing him to a one-year, USD 3.3 million contract.

Thybulle, who remained unsigned for three consecutive weeks in the NBA free-agent market, finally found a new home with the purple and gold after playing three years with the Portland Trail Blazers.

His addition further bolstered the Lakers’ 3-and-D roster following the franchise’s signing of former Brooklyn high-flyer Ziaire Williams and the retention of Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, and Dalton Knecht.

Thybulle was the latest offseason acquisition for the Lakers, with the team already bracing for the departure of LeBron James, who is currently seeking a new team.

A former two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection, Thybulle’s two-way impact was a deciding factor for the Lakers’ front office and head coach JJ Redick, according to veteran ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.

During the 2025–26 NBA regular season, Thybulle led the league in steals and deflections among players with at least 20 games played.

The former 20th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft spent his first four years with the Philadelphia 76ers and was part of the franchise’s “Trust the Process” era with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

After consecutive playoff heartbreaks, the 76ers decided to ship Thybulle to the Trail Blazers in the summer of 2023, but his career trajectory took a major hit because of injuries.

Under the leadership of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Thybulle will have another chance to prove his worth if he cracks Redick’s rotation this season.

In 132 regular-season games with Portland from 2023 to 2026, Thybulle averaged 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals.