5 Free agents Spurs should monitor to improve porous defense

Grant Williams
Grant Williams / Jacob Kupferman/GettyImages
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San Antonio Spurs
Matisse Thybulle, De'Aaron Fox / Alika Jenner/GettyImages

2. Matisse Thybulle

One name that will be in consideration for San Antonio this summer might ring a bell for many Spurs fans. When the Spurs had the 19th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, they selected Luka Samanic, leaving Matisse Thybulle to go to the Philadelphia 76ers immediately after him.

At the time and throughout the following season, many Spurs fans expressed disappointment that the front office had not gone with the defensive prodigy Thybulle. As it turns out, the organization may get a second chance at adding him this summer.

Matisse Thybulle's defensive skills are frankly off the charts. He would be a game-changer for the Spurs, helping get stops against even the most talented lineups. Thybulle is 100% a player worth a look despite being a complete non-factor as a scorer.

He will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Trail Blazers can offer him a qualifying offer worth $6.2 million. Paying a player more than that strictly for defense is a bold move, but it could be worth it for San Antonio.