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PHILADELPHIA — Guerschon Yabusele may be playing his way out of the Philadelphia 76ers' near-term future. A trade might be looming for the 29-year-old as he continues to outplay the veteran minimum contract he signed this past summer. As the trade deadline nears, Yabusele is keeping his focus between the painted lines on the hardwood.
“I don't want to get my head into this a little bit too much,” Yabusele said. “I'm just trying to think about playing right now. I'm still a Sixers player and I hope to stay a Sixers player and we're gonna go from there.”
The Sixers could go in various directions at the trade deadline but the most sensible one is to take stock of the present situation — a 19-29 record following their collapse against the Boston Celtics, good for 11th place in the Eastern Conference — and build for the future. That would include making the most of Yabusele's value and sending him to another team.
Based on how well Yabusele has played this season, the Sixers could easily get outbid for his services next offseason. If they want to gain more flexibility to re-sign him, which would still involve the risk of losing him, they would have to cut into their depth in other places. Because of the challenge it would take to retain him beyond this season and the minuscule chance they make a deep playoff run this season, trading him and receiving draft picks would better help Philly in the long run.
Whatever happens between now and the February 6 deadline, Yabusele is keeping his mind on the game.
“I feel like with what happened last night,” Yabusele said, hinting at the blockbuster that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, “everybody's in a place where you can be moved, so I'm not trying to think too much about it. I just try to come out here, do my job, do it the best [that] I can, try to help the team.”
76ers' Guerschon Yabusele addresses trade possibility
Asked about the possibility of being traded, Guerschon Yabusele said he’s focusing just on playing for the Sixers. He mentioned that with Luka Doncic getting traded, anything can happen but he’ll only focus on a trade if it happens pic.twitter.com/jvNzbi44E5
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) February 3, 2025
Yabusele wasn’t shy about his desire to beat the Celtics, his first NBA team. He smiled and chuckled when asked if he was extra motivated to beat them, saying he “100 percent” wanted to stick it to his old team. In 36 minutes, he recorded 21 points and six rebounds on 8-13 shooting.
“Obviously, I wanted to get this win tonight and I feel like we play hard,” Yabusele said. “We show a lot of great things, so I would say I'm more worried about this than getting traded.”
Rival teams are showing interest in Yabusele, whose shooting, off-the-dribble scoring and playmaking have made him one of the Sixers' best and most important players this season. Yabusele's minimum contract makes it easier for cash-strapped teams like the Celtics to trade for him.
In another timeline, one where the 2024-25 76ers are not out of the playoff picture and Joel Embiid isn’t this horribly plagued by injuries, Yabusele would certainly stay in Philadelphia past the deadline. In this timeline, though, trading him away and living to fight another day makes more sense.
If the Sixers don’t deal Yabu, it will speak to a belief in Embiid's ability to stay healthy down the homestretch of the season and, perhaps more specifically, his profound impact on the team.
