Trail Blazers match Mavericks’ offer sheet for Matisse Thybulle

Matisse Thybulle won’t be joining the Dallas Mavericks. The Portland Trail Blazers decided to match the offer sheet the restricted free agent signed with Dallas Thursday morning, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Mavericks extended Thybulle a three-year, $33 million offer with a $11.5 million player option in the final year.

Portland was always expected to match any offer for Thybulle. Anyone saying otherwise either hasn’t paid attention to the news or doesn’t have reputable sources. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Blazers were sending “behind-the-scenes signals” to teams that they would match since the first days of June. Dallas did make it a real decision for Portland though, adding some extras which make the contract a little more complicated.

Last season, Thybulle averaged 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 27.7 minutes with the Blazers. He shot 43.8 percent overall and a career-best 38.8 percent on three-pointers in his 22 games with Portland.

Dallas’ interest in Thybulle stemmed from his defensive prowess on the perimeter. Many describe him as an agent of chaos defensively. With him returning to Portland, the Mavericks still need to address their needs at the wing, especially after trading Reggie Bullock to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal that brought Grant Williams to Dallas.

The Mavericks still have their midlevel exception available. That means that Dallas likely isn’t done chasing free agents, restricted or otherwise, or looking for another trade. Thybulle was a swing and a miss, but chasing a young, promising wing shows that the Mavericks know what kind of player they need to sign in order to improve next season.