The Portland Trail Blazers are matching restricted free agent Matisse Thybulle‘s three-year, $33 million offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The Blazers are retaining Thybulle, 26, to stay a part of the franchise’s rebuild as the organization also pursues trades on franchise star Damian Lillard.
The deals includes an $11.5 million player option in the third year, sources said.
Thybulle signed the offer sheet on Thursday and Portland officials made a decision within an hour to match the sheet and retain him, sources said.
Thybulle is one of the Blazers’ best defenders and fits with the team’s young core. Portland traded for him in February from the Philadelphia 76ers. He played his first four-plus seasons with the 76ers until landing with the Blazers at the February trade deadline. He started 22 games in the final weeks of the season, averaging 7.4 points and 1.7 steals in 27 minutes a game.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
