The reported Lakers interest in Matisse Thybulle is no longer a rumor. Marc Stein of The Stein Line first reported on July 16 that the Lakers, still hunting for perimeter defense, had registered interest in the free agent wing. Days later, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Thybulle agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal to sign with Los Angeles. The question is no longer whether they should chase him — it’s whether the chase was worth it.
The Case For
The need is obvious. After LeBron James’s departure, the Lakers rebuilt around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, two elite creators who are not perimeter stoppers. Thybulle’s versatility as a defender helps cover deficiencies for a backcourt that won’t feature an on-ball defensive stopper.
The résumé backs it up. Thybulle is one of the league’s most talented defenders, having made the All-Defensive second team in 2021 and 2022, and he has averaged 1.6 steals in 20.6 minutes per game over his career, including 2.1 per game across the last two years in Portland.
And crucially, the old knock — that he was unplayable on offense — has softened. Over the last two seasons he shot 43.8% and then 39.8% from three, and the signs of improved offense could change the narrative that he was too hard to use in the playoffs because of his offensive liabilities.
The price seals it. This is a veteran’s minimum deal, not an asset commitment, on a team that already emptied its cupboard. The Lakers don’t control a first-round pick until the 2032 draft after the Kessler deal sent two firsts and two swaps to Utah. Adding a two-time All-Defensive wing for the minimum is exactly the kind of low-risk swing a capped-out roster needs.
The Case Against
The health record is the whole problem. Thybulle has been limited to just 45 total appearances over the past two seasons due to ankle, knee, and thumb injuries. A defensive specialist who can’t stay on the floor doesn’t fix a defense.
Fit alongside Dončić and Reaves is also not automatic. It remains far from certain Thybulle can be a viable option alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. His career offensive numbers are thin — the former 20th overall pick has career averages of 5.0 points and 1.1 assists on .438/.349/.683 shooting.
There’s a roster-math cost, too. Adding Thybulle brings Los Angeles to 16 players on standard guaranteed contracts, meaning the team will have to waive or trade at least one of them by opening night to reach the 15-man limit. Someone useful gets squeezed out for a player who may not suit up in December.
The Verdict
On balance, this was the right bet — precisely because it costs so little. The Lakers had a real, unfilled hole on the wing, and Thybulle helps address that lingering need after they couldn’t land a higher-profile option to supplement Dončić and Reaves.
Buy the upside, but don’t build the plan around it. A healthy Thybulle is a legitimate playoff-caliber perimeter defender at the minimum; an injured one is a roster spot spent. This is a low-stakes bet, and it leaves the Lakers with at least one player too many under contract.
If Los Angeles treats him as a bonus rather than the solution — with the Jonathan Kuminga pursuit still the move that could raise this roster’s ceiling — then a minimum flier on a two-time All-Defensive wing is smart business. The evidence supports the signing. It does not support relaxing.
Source: Sports Illustrated
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