Matisse Thybulle Signs Full-MLE Offer with Mavericks / Blazers match

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by B-Roy, Jul 5, 2023.

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  1. Mediocre Man

    Mediocre Man Mr. SportsTwo

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    Washington would be awesome, but why would he join a team with no shot at all of making the playoffs?
     
    Mediocre Man, Jul 6, 2023
    #261
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  2. BonesJones

    BonesJones https://www.youtube.com/c/blazersuprise

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    When the goal is to develop and not win the next couple years, you start Scoot, Ant, and Sharpe together. It's not ideal long-term but the Blazers should see if Ant can up his production and his trade value before they try to cash in.
     
    BonesJones, Jul 6, 2023
    #262
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  3. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    I'll add to your post with the reasons I think matching is a mistake:
    • He's not a very good player. He is terrible offensively and while he had a "hot streak" of 38% from 3's with part of a season in Portland, he's clearly a huge negative offensively. He had fallen out of the rotation with the 76ers for a reason.
    • He's not needed by this team given our goals. We don't need to add a defensive stopper in order to develop our guys and try to win (while losing due to inexperience).
    • He's not needed by this team given our roster. Our most important three players moving forward are all guards, and having Thybulle play at guard takes minutes away from Sharpe and/or Simons... playing him at small forward takes minutes away from Murray and Rupert. Adding guards has been easy for this team as we saw with Mayes. Adding wings has been easy as we saw with Knox, Thybulle, and Reddish.
    • He might hamstring future moves. We might be limited in moves me can make by paying him so much, due to ownership's unwillingness to spend too much on a lottery team and/or NBA cap/tax considerations.
    • He's getting paid too much. He was basically traded by the Sixers for Jalen McDaniels when he came to the Blazers, and the Sixers let McDaniels walk... he signed for two years and $9m with the Raptors.
    • He won't have much, if any, trade value. We got him on the cheap and now he's more expensive in terms of his contract. Other similar players signed for less. He has no-trade power for a year. Why would any other team be interested in adding him, other than Dallas who is going all-in this summer?
    It's not my money and it's not as dramatic an overpay as Jerami Grant was, but it is not a smart move by the Blazers to match.
     
    Ed O, Jul 6, 2023
    #263
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  4. BrianFromWA

    BrianFromWA Editor in Chief Staff Member Editor in Chief

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    More likely, why on earth wouldn't CHA match the offer? Unless it's SAS, they're likely getting a steal at the MLE, which I don't know that Washington would sign. He's at a sweet spot of "only" having to give up about 4M if he signs his 8M QO vs. the NTMLE, but with the unrestricted free agent rights next summer. Sure, if SAS offered 4/80 or so he probably signs, and now the decision is CHA's, but I don't think there's any world where the MLE gets him to sign and/or not get immediately matched.

    S&T for Ant, though... ;) Ant's 24,107,143 cap hit means they can sign and trade PJ for $19,205,714 starting salary, or 4yr/82.8M, straight up. Reduces our cap number by 4.9M and balances the roster a bit.
     
    BrianFromWA, Jul 6, 2023
    #264
  5. Mediocre Man

    Mediocre Man Mr. SportsTwo

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    I guess I’d rather have Sharpe at his natural position than playing out of position
     
    Mediocre Man, Jul 6, 2023
    #265
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  6. BonesJones

    BonesJones https://www.youtube.com/c/blazersuprise

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    I would too, but that would require limiting Ant or Scoot, and that doesn't make sense to me. Let Ant start and play his way into having better trade value and then trade him at the deadline. Sharpe can still get some SG minutes:
    Scoot (34) / Simons (12)
    Simons (24) / Sharpe (24)
    Sharpe (12) / Thybulle (24) / Rupert (12)

    Would've rather just given Rupert more minutes and see if Nas can take a step if he can get healthy (very unlikely but why not).
     
    BonesJones, Jul 7, 2023
    #266
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  7. BLAZINGGIANTS

    BLAZINGGIANTS Well-Known Member

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    BLAZINGGIANTS, Jul 7, 2023
    #267
  8. BonesJones

    BonesJones https://www.youtube.com/c/blazersuprise

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    My B. You can add those 2 anywhere you want to.
     
    BonesJones, Jul 7, 2023
    #268
  9. Mediocre Man

    Mediocre Man Mr. SportsTwo

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    That makes sense, but why would his value go up? He’s had two years of good offensive basketball.
     
    Mediocre Man, Jul 7, 2023
    #269
  10. STOMP

    STOMP mere fan

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    Like most scorers, I think he's better playing on the ball then off. With Dame gone, he'll have the opportunity to be the lead much more often. We shall see, but especially if the plan is to profile him for a trade I'd start him at PG with Sharpe at SG. If the plan is to have these 3 guards be the future, I see him as the best option coming off the bench as the 6th man.

    STOMP
     
    STOMP, Jul 7, 2023
    #270
  11. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    Also curious to see if his defense would look less abysmal in such a lineup.
     
    PtldPlatypus, Jul 7, 2023
    #271
  12. Pinwheel1

    Pinwheel1 Well-Known Member

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    I like Ant a lot and want to keep him long-term as the sniper off the bench who can start when injuries occur.

    However, there is one trade scenario where I would want him to start over Scoot for the first year. If we add a defender who plays in the front court and can run the offense but needs to be surrounded by shooters, I would start Simons, Sharpe, Grant, Simmons, and Nurk (or whoever we have at center)

    If Simmons is not the salary coming back in the trade then I would start Scoot and bring Ant and Thybulle off the bench.
     
    Pinwheel1, Jul 7, 2023
    #272
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  13. Natebishop3

    Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

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    Yup. I don’t see any reason to start Simons. If he’s gonna be here long term he needs to accept a bench role. Might as well start now. I have a feeling that Scoot is gonna clearly own the starting point guard spot.
     
    Natebishop3, Jul 7, 2023
    #273
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  14. BonesJones

    BonesJones https://www.youtube.com/c/blazersuprise

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    As the lead guy he puts up better numbers. Without Dame you give him the chance to put up better numbers and it could make it easier to convince teams that he's a star level creator instead of the secondary guy the league seems to view him as currently.
     
    BonesJones, Jul 7, 2023
    #274
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  15. BonesJones

    BonesJones https://www.youtube.com/c/blazersuprise

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    Killing his value to both the team and on the trade market doesn't make sense. Start him then trade him if that's the plan.
     
    BonesJones, Jul 7, 2023
    #275
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  16. Natebishop3

    Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

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    I see the reasoning, but I think his long term value in this league is as a bench spark plug. No better time to make that transition than now.

    I guess we will see what Chauncey decides to do in training camp. I was really hoping to move Simons this offseason.
     
    Natebishop3, Jul 7, 2023
    #276
  17. Natebishop3

    Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

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    Yeah but we don't want him to be the lead guy. We want Scoot to be the lead guy.
     
    Natebishop3, Jul 7, 2023
    #277
  18. andalusian

    andalusian Season - Restarted

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    I would like to see him next to a (hopefully) more pass happy PG than Dame. The year Dame was out, Ant had an absurd catch and shoot 3P percentage. With Dame in, they played more - my time, your time - Dame is a scoring guard first and most of his assists are not guards, but to the rollers from the pick and roll.

    If Ant can regain his absurd off-the-ball catch and shoot percentage, it will be great.
     
    andalusian, Jul 7, 2023
    #278
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  19. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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    exactly

    all these awkward and ill-advised rotation and roster contortions are for only one purpose: to accommodate Ant and justify keeping him. It's dumb. Fortunately, there's a very simple and elegant solution to this problem
     
    wizenheimer, Jul 7, 2023
    #279
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  20. illmatic99

    illmatic99 formerly yuyuza1

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    This ^
     
    illmatic99, Jul 7, 2023
    #280
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