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PORTLAND, OREGON - SEPTEMBER 29: Matisse Thybulle #4 of the Portland Trail Blazers poses for a portrait during media day at Moda Center on September 29, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to improve the roster for quite some time this summer. Once LeBron James indicated that he was not going to return, the team went out and signed a lot of players. Using that cap space was very important to them.
Los Angeles has also been trying to bring in Jonathan Kuminga, but the two seem to be far apart. With those negotiations going south, the Lakers decided to pivot and make another signing. They have brought in a different wing on a veteran minimum contract.
That player is Matisse Thybulle, and he is the newest member of the team.
Lakers Sign Matisse Thybulle to a Veteran Minimum Contract
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers have signed Thybulle to a one-year deal worth $3.3 million. Thybulle is known as a 3-and-D player, but he has struggled with injuries. He played the last four seasons with the Trail Blazers, but has never played more than 65 games in a season with them.
In three of the last four years, Thybulle has not played more than 30 games. Those injury concerns is why Thybulle is only worth a minimum deal. This is a low-risk signing for the Lakers as they look to improve the defensive part of the roster in any way that they can.
Los Angeles is trying to figure out the best way to get a team that has some wing defenders off the bench. Thybulle is someone who can help them do that when he is actually on the court. He has made two All-Defensive teams in his NBA career, so his ceiling is high.