The Philadelphia 76ers have roughly two days to clear cap space before Thursday evening’s free agency start date at 6 p.m. EST. They have their eyes set on P.J. Tucker and want to offer him 3-years and $30 million, but they have to do some trading in order to do so.
One option is moving Matisse Thybulle who is one of the elite defenders in the league. He is an option to be moved as well as Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton in order to clear the necessary cap space.
Out of those three, Thybulle probably has the most value despite his offensive limitations.
Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks have the most interest in acquiring Thybulle. Fischer also includes an important James Harden note:
Philadelphia continues to be mentioned as the leader to land Tucker on a widely-discussed deal that could reach as high as three years and $30 million. In addition to James Harden sacrificing some annual dollars, it’s believed the Sixers are still exploring various trade options to free financial flexibility, as well as upgrade their roster with premium veteran talent. The two teams most often mentioned as Matisse Thybulle suitors have been Portland and Dallas.
Quickly on the Harden front, it’s possible that he does opt out of his player option to take on a somewhat smaller deal in order to facilitate the Tucker deal. It’s obvious that the Sixers want Tucker and Harden taking less money would help in that regard.
As for Thybulle, he makes the most sense to be moved, but he is also a guy who if Philadelphia were to move him and he all of a sudden develops a consistent 3-point shot, then he becomes one of the best 3-and-D players in the league. However, the Sixers don’t have that type of time to wait.
The plan is to win now and they believe Tucker helps in that regard. If moving Thybulle can help bring the veteran to their team, then they are going to pull the trigger on the move.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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