The Los Angeles Lakers have significantly upgraded their perimeter defense by signing unrestricted free-agent forward Matisse Thybulle to a one-year contract worth approximately $3.3 million, a person with knowledge of the agreement told the Associated Press on Monday.
Thybulle, 29, arrives after three-plus seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Last season he averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds across 30 appearances, his campaign repeatedly disrupted by thumb and knee injuries that sidelined him for extended stretches and limited his overall impact.
A first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft (20th overall out of Washington), Thybulle has carved out a reputation as one of the league's premier perimeter defenders over seven NBA seasons. Before Portland, he spent three productive years with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he earned back-to-back NBA All-Defensive Second Team selections in 2021 and 2022, establishing himself as a disruptive force at the point of attack with elite steal and deflection rates. For his career, he averages 1.3 steals per game while playing just 19 minutes a night — a rate that consistently ranks among the league's best.
