NEWSLETTER
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, we have another three-team trade!
The Philidelphia 76ers will trade All-Defensive Team member Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers and acquire 25-year-old forward Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets will reportedly receive multiple second-round picks in return.
From a Chicago Bulls perspective, this is exactly what you want to see the Trail Blazers do. After getting rid of Josh Hart on Wednesday for Cam Reddish and a first-rounder, they created a rather significant hole defensively. However, there seemed to be a clear intention to fill that hole with arguably an even better and cheaper defender in Thybulle. While his lack of shooting remains a problem, the Trail Blazers’ 5th-place offense isn’t in a position where they need him to do much on that end.
Indeed, the combination of Thybulle and a healthy Gary Payton II should help a 26th-ranked Portland defense begin to trend in the right direction. The team currently sits 10th in the Western Conference and just 2.5 games back from a potential top-6 seed. The Bulls would love nothing more than for them to continue their journey up the leaderboard, as we all know they own the team’s 2023 lottery-protected first-round pick.
As for the 76ers, McDaniels is a pretty stellar addition to the rotation. He provides similar defensive versatility as Thybulle – albeit, not at the same elite level – and at least an adequate jump shot. I’m honestly dumbfounded by the Hornets’ decision to move on from him in the thick of a clear rebuild. He’s the kind of developmental talent a franchise normally wants to continue to invest in at this point, but I guess they preferred some second-rounders.
At least the Bulls aren’t the Hornets, right!? Sorry, MJ …
