Portland Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle wanted to leave for the Dallas Mavericks after the team signed him to a three-year, $33 million offer sheet, but that didn't come to fruition after the Blazers matched the deal.
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes and longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein dropped that news on their latest edition of the #thisleague UNCUT podcast.
"The vibe I've gotten is that Thybulle really did want to end up with Dallas," Stein said. "This is something Thybulle's been wanting even before this summer. Dallas has been talked about as a potential destination. The Mavericks have explored in the past pathways to trade for Thybulle."
Haynes then added: "Matisse desperately wanted to be a member of the Dallas Mavericks."
Marc Stein @TheSteinLineNew <a href="">#thisleague</a> UNCUT pod just recorded and out soon w/ <a href="">@ChrisBHaynes</a> covering all the Dame Lillard latest, Portland matching Dallas' Matisse Thybulle offer sheet and Atlanta's Dejounte Murray contract extension.<br><br>Subscribe here so it comes right to you: <a href="">
The 26-year-old Thybulle posted 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 27.7 minutes per game over 22 contests for Portland last season after the Philadelphia 76ers traded him midseason. He made 43.8 percent of his field goals and 38.8 percent of his three-pointers.
It's unclear why Thybulle wanted to leave Portland for Dallas, but one thing is notable: The Trail Blazers are in full-on rebuilding mode with seven-time All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard requesting a trade. They are likely far away from competing for a championship as they rebuild around young stars such as Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
The Mavericks aren't exactly on the doorstep of title contention after finishing 11th in the Western Conference last year, but they are also two years removed from reaching the conference finals.
Dallas is also hard at work this offseason shoring up its two greatest deficiencies in rebounding and defense. New additions include veteran Grant Williams and rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper to help fix those problems.
The Mavericks clearly want to compete for a championship, especially after re-signing Kyrie Irving to a three-year deal. The same can't be said for Portland at the moment.
Thybulle would have been a great fit in Dallas given the team's clear offseason direction to improve defensively, but he will remain in Portland as he enters his fifth regular season campaign.
