Subscribe
Follow Us
Guerschon Yabusele is one of many players who switched teams as a free agent. After the Philadelphia 76ers gave him a contract after the 2024 Olympics, Yabusele had the best season of his career. However, the fourth-year pro joined the New York Knicks as a free agent. 76ers general manager Daryl Morey prioritized other things, including Quentin Grimes' restricted free agency.
Yabusele played a key role for Philadelphia, one of the most disappointing teams in the league. While Paul George's inconsistency and Joel Embiid's health dominated storylines, the French forward was a solid contributor. Unfortunately, Morey will have to replace him on his depth chart after Yabusele went to an Eastern Conference rival.
While Yabusele is grateful for what the 76ers' gave him before last season, their offer was not enough to keep him. He spoke with SK Week TV about his free agency on Friday ahead of EuroCup 2025. According to him, he did not want to leave initially.
Guerschon Yabusele says the Sixers lowballed him during free agency 😬
"They almost didn't really make an offer. They did, but it was really really low… I felt like 'Oh my god, it seems like you don't really want me to stay.'"
(via @skweektv)pic.twitter.com/i4pjhBF4qy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 4, 2025
“Leaving Philly was not a major key,” Yabusele said. “I was thinking to myself, I could have gone back. I didn't really have any issues over there, like I wanna leave, no.”
While the 76ers gave Yabusele his second chance in the NBA, he entered the offseason knowing what he was worth. After negotiations with Morey and Philadelphia's front office fell through, the forward joined the Knicks on a two-year, $12 million deal. Instead of keeping him on the roster, the 76ers could have chosen to save their money to re-sign Grimes.
“They almost didn't make really like an offer,” Yabusele said about the 76ers. “They did, but it was really, really low, to be really transparent. I felt like ‘Oh my god, you guys, seems like you don't really want me to stay.'”
Yabusele's time in Philadelphia did not end as smooth as he wanted to be. However, he is looking forward to joining the Knicks.
“The Knicks came around with a good offer, but also, I feel like the team and everything that they had to give us was a good choice,” Yabusele said about his decision to go to New York.
