Sports

3 players Blazers can sign after Matisse Thybulle joins Lakers

Portland Trail Blazers on SI · Jul 21, 2026 14:00 · 3 min read

3 Players Blazers Can Sign After Matisse Thybulle Joins Lakers — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels dribbles the ball past Portland Trail Blazers guard Matisse Thybulle. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Portland Trail Blazers have a vacancy on their roster after Matisse Thybulle signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. The Blazers could benefit f

The Portland Trail Blazers have a vacancy on their roster after Matisse Thybulle signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.

The Blazers could benefit from adding a wing, especially one that specializes in defense. Here is a look at three players the Blazers could sign to replace Thybulle on the roster.

MarJon Beauchamp

Beauchamp is still relatively young and won't turn 26 until the middle of October. The Yakima, Wa. native could view a contract with the Blazers as a homecoming and a fresh start after he has bounced around the league over the past year or so.

Beauchamp began his career as a first-round pick by the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2022, and he spent two seasons as a teammate of Damian Lillard's while he was with the Bucks. In February 2025, Beauchamp was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Kevin Porter Jr., but was waived shortly upon arrival.

He joined the Knicks on a two-way deal a few days later before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency last offseason. Beauchamp was on a two-way contract with the Sixers, but is no longer eligible for that type of deal after spending four years in the league.

At 6'7", Beauchamp has the ideal size of an NBA wing, and his familiarity with Lillard could make him the ideal pick for the final spot on the roster.

Bruce Brown

Brown might be the best wing still available on the open market. He played in all 82 games for the Denver Nuggets last season, averaging 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The height of Brown's career came in 2023, when he was a key contributor for the Nuggets in their run to the NBA Finals. That allowed him to sign a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers that offseason.

He was viewed as a key piece in a trade in the middle of his first season on the deal that sent him to the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam. Brown was traded once again to the New Orleans Pelicans for Brandon Ingram and has bounced around the league ever since.

Last season proved that he can still be a strong contributor for a contender, which is why Portland should explore the idea of bringing him to the Blazers.

Nicolas Batum

This would be a throwback move that would get the fans excited about the team once again. Batum was a first-round pick by the Blazers back in 2008, and now he is looking to play in his 18th NBA season. Batum spent seven years in Portland before he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2015.

Batum has played for the Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers since leaving Portland. Rejoining the Blazers and finishing out his career where it started would afford him the opportunity to play alongside Lillard once again, who was his teammate for three seasons from 2012 to 2015.

It would also give the Blazers a veteran voice in the locker room that could help guide them as they go from being a fringe playoff contender to one of the established teams in the Western Conference.