If he hasn’t done so already, Daryl Morey should give Marc Everlsey a call.
A report by Sean Deveney of heavy.com claimed Eversley, the Bulls general manager, “has had a fondness for Thybulle going back to early in his collegiate career at Washington and was instrumental in pushing the Sixers to acquire him in the 2019 draft.”
The Sixers traded picks No. 24 and 33 to the Celtics on draft night for Thybulle, who Boston selected at No. 20. Eversley was the Sixers’ highly regarded senior vice president of player personnel at the time.
The Bulls would like to upgrade their defense and that end of the floor is the 25-year-old Thybulle’s forte.
While the Sixers probably wouldn’t get a significant return for Thybulle, whose fourth-year option for $4.4 million in 2022-23 was picked up by the team, perhaps trading him would be the best thing for Thybulle and the Sixers.
The situation reminds me a bit of when ex-Sixers GM Sam Hinkie dealt Michael Carter-Williams at the 2015 trade deadline of his second season after Carter-Williams had won NBA Rookie of the Year. Hinkie, who worked with Morey in Houston, concluded Carter-Williams’ value was only going to decrease — mainly because he hadn’t improved his outside shooting or upgraded in other areas — and secured a first-round pick that became Villanova’s Mikal Bridges (No. 10 in 2018 before his ill-advised trade to the Suns).
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Thybulle is coming off of his second consecutive second-team NBA All-Defensive selection. He had some terrific performances on ‘D’ during the 2021-22 season, highlighted by limiting Warriors star Steph Curry to 2-for-13 shooting on Dec. 11 while becoming the first player to block two Curry 3-pointers in a game.
Thybulle, a 6-foot-5 wing, showed a knack for quickly closing the gap on the player he guarded to block or affect shots, as well as the ability to play the passing lanes and finish on the fast break.
But Thybulle regressed on defense late in the regular season and playoffs, when he tended to gamble more and have a tougher time catching up to his man, resulting in additional personal fouls. And his consistent struggles converting 3-pointers resulted in the Sixers essentially playing 4-on-5 in the halfcourt offense, Ben Simmons style. He had open 3s whenever he wanted, yet still only shot .313 from behind the arc during the regular season.
Expecting him to improve the way Tyrese Maxey did from his rookie year to his second season — going from .301 on 3s to .427 — wasn’t realistic, but Thybulle’s lack of offensive progress from Year 2 to Year 3 was concerning. Like Carter-Williams in his second season as a Sixer, what if this is as good as Thybulle gets as a shooter?
Doc Rivers had little choice but to reduce Thybulle’s minutes from 25.5 in the regular season to 15.7 in the second-round playoff loss to the Heat.
“In the playoffs, players who are extreme sort-of one-way players (like Thybulle), it’s challenging for the coaches and it’s challenging for the players (to deal with a reduced role),” Morey said in his year-end remarks.
So what could the Sixers expect to get in return for Thybulle, who might benefit from a change of scenery? Glad you asked.
The Bulls’ first-round pick (No. 18) in the June 23 draft would be ideal, especially with the Nets having the option to take the Sixers’ top selection (No. 23) from the James Harden deal. It’s unclear if Chicago values Thybulle to that degree, but there’s no harm in asking.
A swap like that couldn’t happen until draft night because the Bulls traded their 2021 first-rounder in the Nikola Vucevic deal and teams aren’t permitted to trade first-round picks ahead of time in consecutive years.
Chicago has a $5 million trade exception it could use some of to absorb Thybulle’s $2.84 million 2021-22 salary without sending a player back in return. Such a move would also lower the Sixers’ luxury-tax figure, though it wouldn’t bring much-needed bench help or a fifth starter.
Plus, a contract extension for Thybulle is looming. He’s due a $6.3 million qualifying offer in 2023-24, which would allow the Sixers to match an offer from another team to keep Thybulle. Committing long-term money wouldn’t seem to be the best course of action in this situation.
It’s possible a Thybulle trade with the Bulls could be part of a bigger deal, require a third team to complete or perhaps Morey could work something out with another team.
The way I see it, looking into trading Thybulle makes sense on multiple levels.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly
