Lakers officially announce Thybulle signing! Will wear No. 26 next season to strengthen Purple and Gold defense

The Lakers made it official on July 28 (Beijing time) that they have signed Matisse Thybulle, a swingman. Thybulle has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team on two occasions (2021, 2022); over his seven-year NBA career, his total steals have been among the league's top 20 in four seasons. He will don the No. 26 jersey for the Lakers next season. It was previously reported that the agreement is a one-year, $3.3 million contract.

During his time with the Trail Blazers last season, Thybulle appeared in 30 games, all off the bench. He averaged 16 minutes per game, contributing 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, with a three-point shooting percentage of 39.8%. The 29-year-old recorded multiple steals in 18 games and had at least one steal and one block in nine games.

In his regular-season career, Thybulle has played in 377 games (124 starts) for Philadelphia (2019–2023) and Portland (2023–2026), averaging 20.6 minutes, 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He has also appeared in 29 playoff games with the 76ers (2019–22) and the Trail Blazers (2025–26).

Since the 2020–21 season, only eight players across the league have recorded 100+ steals in three different seasons, and Thybulle is one of them. From the 2020-21 season onwards, his total steals have consistently ranked among the top ten guards in the league.

Thybulle is a native of Scottsdale, Arizona. He was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, and his draft rights were later traded to Philadelphia. In college, he played four seasons at the University of Washington (2015–19), where he won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and was twice named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. By the end of his college career, he had become Washington's all-time leader in steals; as a senior, he recorded 126 steals in a single season, setting a school record.