PHILADELPHIA — The trade deadline can be stressful for a great many players around the league: Rumors and reports will fly all over the place regarding any player in the NBA.
Philadelphia 76ers defensive standout Matisse Thybulle is dealing with that. His name has popped up in recent reports. Both the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in acquiring Thybulle.
All of that can be stressful, but Thybulle has learned how to be at peace with whatever happens.
“I let it bother me a lot in the past,” Thybulle said after a win over the Orlando Magic. “I think it helps, too, now, it’s not my first rodeo. Every single year, it’s kinda like the same situation. It’s like ‘You’re gonna get traded!’ until the very last minute when you don’t. I’ve gotten all the way there until it actually happens so, at this point, I kinda know the ropes.”
Knowing the ropes is important at this stage. This is Thybulle’s fourth season, and he understands that there will be reports from everywhere. Until something happens, he’s going to focus on himself.
“It helps that my family does as well,” he continued. “That’s one thing people don’t realize because you can protect yourself from this stuff, but when you have your grandma or your dad or — calling you like ‘Yo! Are you getting traded!?’ that’s a lot of stress. So now we’ve all been through it three years in a row, they know the rumors that they see are just rumors, and I’ll call them if anything’s gonna happen.”
It helps that Thybulle has Tobias Harris to lean on in the locker room. Harris has been through many trades and trade deadlines throughout his career.
“Tobias is always there when times are tough,” Thybulle added. “Even in games, I miss my first shot. He comes up to me ‘That’s a great shot! Get ready for the next one.’ And he’s the first one to cheer me on after it happens.”
Time will tell whether Thybulle will be in Philadelphia past the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but one thing’s for sure, his name will continue to surface. It will all be about how he handles all of it.
