Portland Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle has picked up his $11.5 million player option for the 2025-26 season, a league source confirmed to Blazer’s Edge on Tuesday. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news.
Next season will mark the end of Thybulle’s three-year, $33 million deal he signed with the Blazers in the summer of 2023. Portland had matched a three-year offer sheet sent in by the Dallas Mavericks during free agency that July to retain Thybulle’s services. The 28-year-old defensive specialist is now set to enter the 2026 offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
Thybulle was heavily disrupted by injuries this past season, but was impactful when he finally could suit up. He missed the first 67 games of the campaign due to a procedure in mid-October to clean up knee inflammation and then a grade 2 ankle sprain in late November on the brink of his return. After making his season debut on March 16 against the Toronto Raptors, Thybulle averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.2 steals per outing over the final 15 games. He also shot 43.8% from behind the 3-point line on 3.2 attempts per game.
Through 102 games over 2.5 seasons in Portland, Thybulle has averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 42.1% from the field and 36.8% on 3s. Prior to Portland, he spent over three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, making the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2021 and 2022.
Following Monday night’s trade stunner in which the Blazers moved Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics for Jrue Holiday, the return of Thybulle next season — barring he isn’t moved in a future deal — adds yet another high-quality defender to Portland’s improving defense.