DALLAS – The Dallas Mavs reached an agreement on a trade and sign to acquire Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics … but they wanted more by signing restricted free agent Matisse Thybulle to an offer sheet.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the Blazers have opted to match the three-year, $33 million offer sheet.
During his 2022-23 campaign, Thybulle averaged 4.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 71 games. The 6-foot-5 wing is known for being a defensive playmaker in passing lanes and making plays on the basketball, which has helped him earn two All-Defensive Second Team selections in his NBA career.
Thybulle was traded midseason to the Portland Trail Blazers, giving him a much greater opportunity to receive playing time than he did during his 49 games averaging 12.1 minutes per game with the Philadelphia 76ers. In his 22 starts with the Blazers, he averaged 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals while shooting 38.8 percent from 3.
With the Mavs coming off a season ranked 25th in defensive rating, there was a clear need for improvement at that point. Early moves involved adding Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the NBA Draft, but it’s hard to count on rookies making an immediate impact when it comes to winning basketball.
“I think for us going into the offseason, the two biggest things we have to work on are defense and rebounding,” Mavs general manager Nico Harrison said during his exit interview. “That will be addressed.”
By adding Williams to the mix and maybe more (even without Thybulle), the Mavs would continue to make progress toward the needed defensive upgrade. Williams can fill the void of handling bigger perimeter matchups … with Dallas looking for more help.
Grant Afseth is one Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and the NBA for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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