Matisse Thybulle Signs One-Year, $3.3M Deal with Lakers
Free agent forward Matisse Thybulle agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN. Thybulle, a two-time All-Defensive selection, was recruited by coach JJ Redick and Luka Doncic to strengthen the team's wing defense.
Matisse Thybulle agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN. The 28-year-old defensive specialist, entering his eighth NBA season, was recruited directly by coach JJ Redick and star Luka Doncic during free agency to address the team's wing defense needs.
Thybulle carries elite perimeter credentials. Per ESPN, he is a two-time All-Defensive team member and led the NBA in steals and deflections per 36 minutes last season among players who appeared in at least 20 games. Over the past two seasons, Thybulle appeared in 45 total games and shot 41.8 percent from the 3-point line, according to ESPN's reporting.
Thybulle's path to Los Angeles was shaped by limited alternatives. According to ESPN, the forward discussed returning to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played last season, but concluded the team did not make serious efforts to retain him. The Blazers offered non-guaranteed deals during most of free agency, per the reporting. The Lakers and Blazers discussed sign-and-trade scenarios that would have allowed Thybulle to earn a higher salary, but the two sides could not reach terms, ESPN reported.
The signing places the Lakers at 16 guaranteed salaries on their roster, according to ESPN. The team retains flexibility: the league permits roster moves until opening night in late October, giving the Lakers a window to explore trades that might consolidate their roster. Separately, the Lakers also agreed to a two-way NBA deal with forward Arthur Kaluma, who spent the 2025-26 season in the Lakers' G League program. Kaluma averaged nearly 19 points on 61 percent shooting and 50 percent from three during the Las Vegas summer league, per ESPN.
The Lakers pursued unrestricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, but those discussions have not advanced, according to ESPN's reporting.
Thybulle's one-year, non-star-level compensation reflects a restricted free agent market in which the incumbent team's limited pursuit left him with fewer guaranteed suitors. His defensive rating and perimeter shot are documented; the size of his contract signals that the open market for his services had narrowed by the time Los Angeles stepped in.
Thybulle led the NBA in steals and deflections per 36 minutes last season among players to play at least 20 games, per ESPN's reporting.
Watch whether Thybulle's perimeter defense proves the secondary piece the Lakers needed, and whether the team's 16-salary roster and the October trade deadline become focal points in constructing a final 15-man rotation. If Thybulle returns to his injury-plagued form (45 games in two seasons), or if the sign-and-trade collapse signals a broader mismatch in the open market, the modest investment will be easier to shed.
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