Guerschon Yabusele has evolved into an impressive player in the past five years — and he’s ready to return to the NBA.
Yabusele spent two seasons in Boston from 2017-19, but the Yabusele Celtics fans remember was not this strong, his game was not this polished and mature, and he wasn’t a player anywhere close to doing this.
GUERSCHON YABUSELE ON LEBRON JAMES. 😳
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
📺 NBC and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/cjrH6Q9Epd
Yabusele averaged 14 points a game shooting 51.9% in Paris and caught the eye of some NBA front offices during the Games — and he says he wants to return to the NBA.
Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. I’m ready 😤🧸
— Guerschon Yabusele (@yabusele28) August 11, 2024
He looked ready in Paris, although will teams trust him to space the floor (he shot 39.4% from 3 for Real Madrid last season, but 28.6% for France in the Olympics). Then there is the question of money.
Yabusele, 28, is under contract with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid for next season, but with a $2.5 million NBA buyout, reports Marc Stein (who adds it was a $1 million buyout before July 15, but teams were not interested then). The new NBA CBA blocks teams from spending more than $850,000 to buy a player from a contract. Do you really expect Yabusele would have to pay $1.65 million extra to come over now?
The more likely outcome is that teams will call him next summer to see if they can work out terms.
Another other French player of note was forward Mathias Lessort, who plays for Panathinaikos of the Greek league. According to Ian Begley of SNY.TV, he and the Knicks talked this offseason (before the Paris Olympics).
Did the Knicks consider Lessort as they were searching for depth on the front line earlier this offseason? They did. New York inquired about Lessort’s interest in signing but the player and team were unable to find common ground. The Knicks still have an open spot on their 15-man roster.
The Knicks’ offer was most likely for a minimum non-guaranteed contract for Lessort, who decided his deal in Greece was better than that. Will Lessort’s performance in Paris get the Knicks to raise their offer next offseason? It’s something to file away and remember.
