Lakers Add Defensive Wing Matisse Thybulle On 1-year, $3.3m Deal

The Lakers are adding another defensive-minded wing to their roster. 

The franchise and Matisse Thybulle agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $3.3 million.

Since Thybulle is signing a veteran’s minimum contract, he’ll have a $2.5 million cap hit for the Lakers, similar to Kevon Looney and Ziaire Williams.

ESPN first reported the Lakers adding Thybulle. 

The Lakers will have 16 rostered players on guaranteed standard deals once Thybulle’s signing is official, meaning the franchise will need to trade or waive at least one player to become roster compliant (maximum 15 players signed to standard deals) before Opening Night in October.

Teams can carry a maximum of 21 players on their roster during the offseason, including the three two-way spots, before having to be roster-compliant the day before the regular season starts.

Thybulle joins Looney (one year, $3.9 million), Ziaire Williams (one year, $2.8 million), Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million), Jaden Hardy (trade) and Cameron Carr (first-round draft pick) as the Lakers’ newcomers.

Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves (re-signed to a four-year, $180 million contract), Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Adou Thiero are the lone Lakers still on the roster who finished 2025–26 with the team.

The addition of Thybulle, who’s entering his eighth season in the NBA after being the No. 20 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, addresses the Lakers need for perimeter defense after their offseason roster overhaul.

After being the 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year during his final season at Washington, Thybulle was an All-Defensive second team honoree twice (2021 and ’22) during his 3 ½ seasons with the 76ers (2019–23) before Philadelphia traded him to the Trail Blazers ahead of the 2023 deadline.

Thybulle, 29, has played just 132 regular season games (and four playoff games) for the Trail Blazers over the last 3 ½ years.

After appearing in 65 games (19 starts) during his first full season in Portland in 2023–24, Thybulle played in 15 games in 2024–25 because of knee and ankle injuries and 30 games in 2025–26.

Thybulle missed 51 straight games from late October through late through mid-February after having surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb but played in the Trail Blazers’ final 26 regular season games after the All-Star break.

He averaged 5.9 points (37.9% shooting on 3-pointers), 2.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.6 blocks in 16.6 minutes in those 26 games before playing in four of Portland’s five playoff games, not including the Play-In Tournament win over the Suns on April 14.

The 6-foot-5, 202-pound Thybulle remains a pesky defender even though his one-on-one isolation defense hasn’t been as sharp the last few seasons compared to his time with the 76ers/first joining the Trail Blazers.

Thybulle’s 2 steals per game last season was tied for the second-most in the league with Hawks wing Dyson Daniels and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson among players who appeared in at least 20 regular season games despite averaging just 16 minutes.

He led the league in steals (4.5) and deflections (8.7) per 36 minutes in 2025–26 among players who appeared in at least 20 games.

His length (reported 7-foot wingspan), motor and reflexes at his size has helped him remain one of the league’s most disruptive perimeter defenders.

He’s mainly been tasked with defending guards throughout his career, specifically primary ball handlers, but has the versatility to guard smaller forwards and is elite with navigating around screens on and off the ball.

Thybulle, who’s shot 34.9% on 3s since entering the league, shot 37.4% from beyond the arc since joining the Trail Blazers in February 2023.

He’s shot 35% on catch-and-shoot 3s during the regular season since entering the NBA, including 38.8% over the last four seasons (2022-26).

Thybulle will provide the Lakers with a 3-and-D wing who, along with Grimes and Williams, will be looked upon to fortify the team’s perimeter defense with Kessler as the anchor.

The Lakers remain interested in 23-year-old unrestricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, but conversations have stalled as most of the league monitors LeBron James’ highly-anticipated decision on where he’ll play his 24th NBA season.

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