Bulls interested in acquiring Matisse Thybulle from 76ers, per report

If the Philadelphia 76ers look to trade defensive stalwart Matisse Thybulle over the offseason, another playoff team in the Eastern Conference may be interested. The Chicago Bulls, who lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the postseason, have “known interest” in Thybulle, according to Sean Deveney. Thybulle, 25, has another year on his current contract, and he is eligible for an extension over the offseason. 

Chicago’s interest in Thybulle stems from general manager Marc Eversley, who has long been a fan of the fourth-year forward. Eversley worked in Philadelphia’s front office from 2016 to 2020, and he played a large role in the team’s decision to draft Thybulle with the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Clearly, Eversley’s interest in Thybulle followed him to Chicago. 

From Deveney: 

The Sixers could look to get off Thybulle’s contract to create some wiggle room under the luxury tax, which looms large over the team’s offseason, and one team with known interest, according to league sources, is Chicago. Bulls GM Marc Eversley has had a fondness for Thybulle going back to early in his collegiate career at Washington, and was instrumental in pushing the Sixers to acquire him in the 2019 draft. 

A deal would likely require a third team if Philadelphia’s goal is to save money under the tax, but the Bulls would be a strong suitor if Thybulle is available.

At this point, it’s not clear if the Sixers would be willing to part with Thybulle, who is coming off of a rough postseason run for Philadelphia. Thybulle has established himself as one of the league’s better perimeter defenders, but he has shown little offensive development since he was drafted, especially when it comes to shooting. As a result, he can become a liability on the offensive end. Additionally, his decision not to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 forced him to miss three games against the Raptors in Toronto in the first round. 

Despite his flaws — and Chicago’s interest — it seems somewhat unlikely that the Sixers would look to trade Thybulle this summer, given the lack of other reliable perimeter defenders on their roster as currently constructed. Plus, he comes with a relatively cheap price tag for next season ($4.4 million). 

If the Sixers aren’t ready to commit to him long-term, they could delay an extension and see how the ’22-23 season goes. After that, Thybulle would become a restricted free agent and the Sixers would have an opportunity to match any outside offers. 

There are a plethora of questions facing the Sixers this offseason, and what they plan to do with Thybulle is just one of them.