The New York Knicks did not have much room to pull off a blockbuster trade prior to the deadline without giving up one of their core players, so they instead settled for an upgrade on the margins, bringing in Jose Alvarado in a trade for Dalen Terry, whom they brought in in the first place in exchange for Guerschon Yabusele.
Yabusele made life easier for the Knicks by restructuring his contract and removing his player option for next season. He knew he was not getting any playing time in New York, so he facilitated a trade with such a move, helping the team get back Alvarado and helping himself get minutes with the Bulls.
But for as short-lived and as unsuccessful as Yabusele's Knicks stint was, he still made a mark in their locker room, if Mitchell Robinson's two-word message on Instagram for the French international is any indication.
“Come back,” Robinson wrote as the caption to his Instagram story containing a picture of him and Yabusele together.
Mitchell Robinson to Guerschon Yabusele on IG: “Come back” pic.twitter.com/pND25Ya66D
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 10, 2026
Yabusele prioritized getting his career back on track, as it was likely that he'd be stuck with the Knicks if he didn't waive his player option for next season. He has to be beloved in New York just for that, even though things didn't work out in the end between them.
Knicks' Guerschon Yabusele move doesn't work out
When the Knicks signed Yabusele, many fans were pleased. He was very good after all in his first season back stateside, averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, Yabusele wasn't able to find his footing under head coach Mike Brown, finding himself behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Robinson, and even Ariel Hukporti in the Knicks' center rotation. Yabusele has always been the kind of guy to bet on himself, so he is now playing for a new contract as he racks up stats for the Bulls.
