Rumors: Lockdown defender "desperately" wanted to play for the Dallas Mavericks

Noah Weber

New Orleans Pelicans v Portland Trail Blazers / Amanda Loman/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks had a huge day on June 5 as they landed two defensive-minded wings.

They signed Grant Williams to a four-year, $53 million contract. Dallas was interested in Williams for some time and decided to trade for him as part of a three-team sign-and-trade.

But earlier that morning, Dallas made a move for a player that they had their eyes on for months.

Rumors: Lockdown defender "desperately" wanted to play for the Dallas Mavericks

They signed two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team wing Matisse Thybullee to a three-year, $33 million offer sheet. Marc Stein said that the Mavericks had interest in him just a few days before, and the Mavs made a deal to try to land him in Dallas. Thybulle was a restricted free agent, meaning the Portland Trailblazers had time to match.

This move would have been massive for Dallas as they would have landed one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. They would have had Williams and Thybulle as their starting small and power forwards and would have given this team a defensive persona that they haven't had in a long time.

But as fans expected, the Trailblazers matched Dallas' offer sheet, meaning that he would be returning to Portland. Fans were sad about this as they wanted the lockdown defender on the Mavs, and it sounds like Thybulle was upset as well.

According to Marc Stein and Chris Haynes, Thybulle wanted to be in Dallas. On Stein and Haynes' podcast, "#thisleague UNCUT," Stein said that Thybulle had wanted to play in Dallas before the offseason had even started. Stein's partner, Haynes, even went to the extent of saying that Thybulle "desperately" wanted to play for the Mavs.

This is one downside of restricted free agency, as Thybulle reportedly wanted to come to Dallas badly but has to stay and play in Portland. This was a hard pill to swallow for Mavs' fans, as they wanted Thybulle on the team to lock down the perimeter.

Dallas hasn't used the mid-level exception on anyone else yet, and they are also expected to trade JaVale McGee and Tim Hardaway Jr. at some point.

Stay tuned to see what other moves the Mavericks make and if they can find another lockdown defender in free agency. We'll have you covered with all the latest surrounding the Mavs.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.