Last summer, Daryl Morey gave Guerschon Yabusele a route back to the NBA. The veteran forward had impressed during his time with the French national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yabusele had spent the past five years developing his game in Europe, primarily with Real Madrid, after his two-season tenure with the Boston Celtics came to an end.
During his season with Philadelphia, Yabusele proved he was a viable NBA talent, capable of making a legitimate impact, both as a starter and as a member of the second unit. During a recent appearance on “The Roommates” podcast, Yabsuele told Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart how finding his way back to the NBA was a difficult path.
“I mean, it was really hard, to be honest,” Yabusele said. “It was long five like it was five long years, you know? Like every year, every summer, my agent was calling me, was like, “oh, you might have a chance.” So a couple of teams called in, you try to see what’s your situation with the contract. So I was pretty hyped going into every summer, you know?”
Yabsuele signed a one-year contract with the Sixers last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Unfortunately for the Sixers, Morey was unable to reach an agreement with Yabusele and his representation. Therefore, he signed a two-year deal with the New York Knicks, which isn’t ideal for the Sixers, but it gives Yabusele an opportunity to continue building his NBA career.
Without Yabusele in the rotation next season, Nick Nurse will need to explore new depth options in the front court. Fortunately, he has multiple talents to call on and will undoubtedly be hoping both Paul George and Joel Embiid can leave their injury issues from last season firmly behind them.