The Portland Trail Blazers intend to match restricted free agent guard Matisse Thybulle's three-year, $33 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks to keep him on their roster, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The deal includes an $11.5 million player option in the third year, coming in the 2025-26 season.
It was previously reported yesterday that Thybulle would accept an offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks, with the team hoping to improve their defense alongside the offensive firepower of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted the 26-year-old as the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Sixers organization failed to reach an agreement with Thybulle regarding an extension during the 2022 offseason, enabling him to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Thybulle was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers last February in a multi-team transaction with the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks.
Still on his rookie-scale contract, the Australian-American earned $4.3 million for the 2022-23 season.
Read more: Mavericks Bolster Defense With Matisse Thybulle Attempt
Matisse Thybulle is one of the NBA's best defensive players
Thybulle is regarded as one of the elite defensive players in the league, getting named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 2021 and 2022.
It remains to be seen how the 6-foot-5 swingman would fit with the Blazers' loaded backcourt, which includes 2023 NBA Draft second overall pick Scoot Henderson, 2022 lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and possibly Damian Lillard if the franchise decides not to pull the trigger quickly on the NBA 75 member's trade request.
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