Philadelphia 76ers: 3 deals to send Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers

No. 1: The crown jewel of Portland

Finally, the crown jewel of all tradeable assets in Portland, Nassir Little. The Blazers would have to value Thybulle immensely, potentially even need a push from Damian Lillard, to even consider this, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a pathway to convince them.

While Nassir Little provides an important role at a good price, the Blazers would still have a similar, albeit lesser, player in Justise Winslow. For Portland, there is a clear need for a player of Matisse Thybulle’s defensive acumen. Young role players Furkan Korkmaz and Isaiah Joe also replenish the depth for the Blazers.

For Philadelphia, Little would fulfill multiple needs. He’s young, athletic, a strong defender, and at least a willing shooter capable of developing. Like Winslow, Little also struggled to find where he fits in the game of basketball, at least for a time. Now entering his fourth season, Nassir Little appears to have found his niche.

Nassir Little is an athletic wing defender who has a chance to turn into a high-end role player in the NBA. The league has a shortage of these types of players, but they play a pivotal role. Wings who are both high-end athletes and tenacious defenders are crucial in this league, and while ideally, they possess a more consistent shot than Little, there’s time for him to iron that out as he is only 22 years old — three younger than Thubulle.

If Little can model his game after the likes of Robert Covington, Bruce Brown, and even future Sixer P.J. Tucker, he will find much success at the NBA level. That is what the Sixers would be banking on in this deal, and at such a young age, Nassir Little is worth the risk.