Never heard of Sean Deveney before, but he’s a blue checkmark with 20,000 followers who works as the NBA Editor for Heavy.com.

In a recent post, he notes that the Chicago Bulls are interested in Matisse Thybulle:

The Sixers could look to get off Thybulle’s contract to create some wiggle room under the luxury tax, which looms large over the team’s offseason, and one team with known interest, according to league sources, is Chicago. Bulls GM Marc Eversley 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.

A deal would likely require a third team if Philadelphia’s goal is to save money under the tax, but the Bulls would be a strong suitor if Thybulle is available.

Couple of notes here:

  1. Eversley was a Colangelo guy. He came here as a VP in 2016 and left in 2020 to take Chicago’s GM gig.
  2. Thybulle carries a $4.3 million cap hit this season. It’ll year #4 of his NBA career after the Sixers exercised his fourth-year option last October.
  3. A fifth year qualifying offer would be about $6.2 million.

I’m curious how Sixers fans feel after Thybulle took a step back this year. Even before the vaccine kerfuffle he wasn’t playing very well. He only shot 31.3% from three despite showing some significant early improvement as a slasher and cutter. His advanced defensive numbers (DBPM, DWS, all of the Jokic shit you hate) took a slight dip this year while the eye test shows he was committing some bad fouls and allowing guys to get around him, trying rear-contests and swipes and things like that. There’s definitely still an NBA 3 and D player in there, they just need him to take the next step.

If the Sixers do move Matisse, the Bulls have a couple of guys in his age and salary range. Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams (surgery this year), Coby White, etc. Not sure what the Bulls are willing to give up, but Thybulle was a first round draft pick, he’s still young, and he started 50 games this year, so you’re not letting him go for peanuts. And if the goal is to shed salary, then like Deveney says, that third team would likely have to come in.