The Los Angeles Lakers are currently putting the finishing touches on their roster for the 2026-27 season after completely overhauling things this summer.
While the Lakers’ roster is currently full, they could still open up space either through trades or waiving a player to sign more free agents. And if they are able to do that, one player they appear to be interested in is former Portland Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle, per NBA insider Marc Stein:
The Lakers have again broadened their search for perimeter defense, league sources say, registering interest this week in free agent Matisse Thybulle.
They have already added Ziaire Williams while also continuing to pursue Jonathan Kuminga.
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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 16, 2026
Even after signing Ziaire Williams, the Lakers are always looking for perimeter defense, and adding a player like Thybulle would help address that.
Thybulle was originally drafted 20th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 out of Washington. He was named to two NBA All-Defensive teams early in his career but has struggled to stay on the court in recent years due to injury. Still just 29 years of age though, there is some upside there if he can stay healthy.
In 30 games last season for the Trail Blazers, Thybulle averaged 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 39.8% from 3-point range on 3.1 attempts per game. Throughout his career, Thybulle has struggled to be a reliable 3-point shooter, averaging 34.9% from deep for his career. If he turned a corner in that regard last season though then he can be a very valuable player for a team like the Lakers on a minimum deal.
As previously stated, the Lakers currently have a full roster with 15 players on guaranteed contracts. They are well below their first apron hard cap, however, so they could simply waive a player to open up a roster spot to sign a free agent like Thybulle to a veteran minimum contract. The other option would be a trade where they send out more players than they take back in order to free up a roster spot.
Lakers still pursuing Jonathan Kuminga
According to recent reports, the Lakers are still pursuing free agent Jonathan Kuminga to be their starting power forward.
Given their lack of cap space, they would need to complete a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks to make that happen, which perhaps would be the way to clear a roster spot for someone like Thybulle if they sent back multiple players.
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