Report: Sixers could be looking to trade Tobias Harris & Matisse Thybulle soon

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers are ramping up their efforts to reshape their roster as the NBA Draft looms large. Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle are among the players mentioned who Daryl Morey is actively gauging the market for.

Matisse Thybulle

This shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise. While Thybulle was recently named to his second-straight All-NBA defensive second-team, there have been a lot of reservations about what he provides outside of his defensive abilities. The answer is, not very much. Thybulle is a stalwart on the defensive end, but his regression as a shooter is concerning. This was reflected by his 25.5 minutes a game in the regular season to just 15.2 minutes a night in the postseason.

That’s not to say he’s not of value. At just 25 years old, it’s clear that Thybulle has a very rare size/athleticism combination that allows him to be ruthless at the rim and one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. But if that shoe doesn’t fit this team anymore, cashing in on his skillset now would make sense.

Tobias Harris

As for Tobias Harris, it’s not exactly a secret that his huge contract has acted as a detriment to the Sixers. It’s not his fault he was paid so highly and that with that kind of number comes a certain expectation, but he hasn’t exactly been the star he was paid to be. Trading Harris would simply be a case of finding a team willing to stomach his extortionate cap-hit, but a team like Oklahoma City could well be in the running.

What does this mean for the Sixers?

It’s interesting to hear this report so close to the NBA Draft. If nothing else, it’s encouraging that the Sixers general manager Daryl Morey is actively looking to not only improve the team, but potentially admit what many GMs refuse to — that some tough decisions need to be made.