Lakers’ Thybulle move puts Bronny James in the roster squeeze
ESPN reports Los Angeles is adding Matisse Thybulle, leaving the Lakers with 16 guaranteed players and a cutdown decision before opening night.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Lakers are adding another defender, and that creates a very tidy NBA headache: one guaranteed contract too many.
Los Angeles is signing veteran forward Matisse Thybulle, ESPN reported. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn reported that the move brings the Lakers to 16 players, while the regular-season limit is 15.
That number is legal for now. NBA teams can carry up to 21 players during the offseason, according to CBS Sports. The problem arrives before the season starts, when Los Angeles must get down to the standard roster maximum.
Thybulle gives the Lakers a specific kind of help. CBS Sports noted that he is a two-time All-Defense selection, and that Los Angeles needed perimeter defense after its sign-and-trade addition of Walker Kessler. Quinn also pointed out that Thybulle shot better from 3-point range with the Portland Trail Blazers than he had with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The signing is described by CBS Sports as a low-risk play if Thybulle can stay healthy. It also puts the front office on the clock.
The trade math gets tight
According to CBS Sports, all 15 Lakers already on the roster before Thybulle had guaranteed deals, and Thybulle’s deal is guaranteed as well. Los Angeles could waive a player and eat the money, but Quinn reported that a trade is the more likely route.
CBS Sports listed seven Lakers as currently trade-eligible: Luka Dončić, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero and Bronny James.
Quinn dismissed Dončić as a realistic option for a roster-cleanup move. He described Vanderbilt’s contract as difficult to move without draft compensation attached. Hardy, Knecht and LaRavia were identified as more plausible names, while Thiero’s Summer League showing could make the Lakers want to keep him as a developmental player.
That leaves the name that pulls the most attention: Bronny James.
Bronny’s future is now part of the puzzle
Bronny’s situation is tied to another unresolved Lakers matter. CBS Sports reported that LeBron James remains a free agent, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves still openly pursuing him.
The Athletic previously reported that a father-and-son reunion next season is not guaranteed. CBS Sports noted that no reporting has ruled it out, either.
Quinn argued that Bronny may be the most expendable player among the practical trade options. He wrote that Knecht has played far more NBA minutes, Thiero was selected higher one year later and has stronger physical tools, and LaRavia has already shown he can be part of an NBA rotation.
CBS Sports also noted that moving Bronny’s minimum salary could be easier than moving Hardy’s $6 million contract.
Bronny did appear in playoff rotation minutes for the Lakers, according to CBS Sports, though Quinn reported those opportunities came while the team was dealing with injuries. The report credited him with defensive upside, while saying he has not yet shown enough on offense to project as a positive player on that end.
No Lakers trade has been announced. For now, Thybulle’s arrival gives Los Angeles another wing defender and turns a roster decision into one of the more watched subplots around the team.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.