Free agency is not always about the big-time names headlining the offseason spectacle. Sometimes, it is the smaller moves that can make the biggest impact. The Los Angeles Lakers could have a prime candidate for one of those maneuvers.
The Portland Trail Blazers are set to welcome back Damian Lillard to the court in 2026-27. Before they do that, they will need to finalize what their roster looks like for next season. Blazers expert Reese Kunz believed there would be several players on this year's team who would not be back for Lillard's return to action.
One of those players was Matisse Thybulle. The Blazers wing is heading for free agency after completing the final season of his three-year, $33.1 million deal with Portland.
Thybulle will almost certainly be in the price range of a veteran's minimum after a couple of injury-riddled seasons. When the veteran wing did play, the impact was clear. Adding him to Los Angeles would be a great low-cost gamble on a guy outplaying the value of his deal, if all goes right.
Matisse Thybulle ticks a lot of the right boxes for the Lakers
Kunz highlighted that when Thybulle did play, his impact was felt. The Blazers got a healthy boost from his availability in their return to postseason basketball this season.
"Although Thybulle largely fell out of Tiago Splitter's rotation in their series with San Antonio, he was valuable for Portland down the stretch of the regular season," Kunz wrote. "He provides that defensive versatility on the wing, ... but has emerged as a much more reliable floor-spacing option."
Thybulle has always been a strong defender. It is the growth from beyond the arc that Los Angeles should be quite excited about.
In 2025-26, the two-way wing shot 39.8 percent on his long ball attempts. In 2024-25, that number was at 43.8 percent from deep.
The volume for Thybulle is nothing crazy. Over the last two seasons, the 29-year-old has attempted just 3.1 3-point shots. However, knocking down open looks is mostly the sweetener when it comes to his game. The aforementioned defensive aptitude is still the obvious selling point.
Even with Thybulle's All-Defensive Team days behind him, the Blazers wing is still a strong option on that end. That is something the Lakers will need to add in bunches when the roster makeover commences.
The cap space is coming for Los Angeles, but the roster will still need to be filled out around the edges. For a future with Luka Doncic at the helm, Thybulle should fit live a glove.
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