The Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets and others have called the Sixers to express interest in trading for forward Guerschon Yabusele, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto writes.
As we relayed earlier this week, the Sixers reportedly “love” the French forward, but his impending unrestricted free agent status gives the team plenty to think about at this deadline.
Yabusele is averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game so far this season while shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.3% from three. He’s been a crucial part of a Sixers team that has been ravaged by injuries. Yabusele entered Thursday with 22 starts under his belt.
After Yabusele’s $2.09MM salary expires this offseason, he’ll have no shortage of suitors in free agency. The Sixers only hold his Non-Bird rights, so they’re limited in what they can offer him unless they use their mid-level exception — they’ll likely only have the taxpayer form of the MLE.
As Scotto writes, given that the Sixers are 19-27 and currently on the outside looking in for the play-in tournament (though they’re tied with the Bulls), contending teams are calling about Philadelphia’s veterans. Not only would Yabusele bolster any playoff rotation, but his team-friendly contract this year could offer savings for contenders looking to cut costs.
Yabusele isn’t the only player generating interest on the trade market. As we wrote on Monday, Eric Gordon is also receiving interest. Scotto reports that rivals have checked in on Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre and, notably, Caleb Martin as well. Martin signed a four-year, $35MM deal with Philadelphia this summer — if the Sixers decide to sell their veterans, he would be one of the more coveted players on the block.
Drummond has a player option worth $5MM next year while Oubre has one worth about $8.38MM.
Despite what sounds like healthy interest in players who would make sense to sell for a team interested in draft position, I’m somewhat skeptical the Sixers would proceed with a full-blown fire sale. For starters, as mentioned, Philadelphia is tied with the Bulls for 10th in the East. They’re also just four games out of the sixth seed, entering Thursday. While nothing has gone according to plan for Philadelphia this year, the team remains in position to claim a postseason appearance with better health luck moving forward. The Sixers are on a four-game winning streak, for what it’s worth.
The Sixers’ draft pick in this class is also protected, but only if it lands in the top six. While it’s not unheard of for teams with low odds to win big and move into the top four, the Sixers have likely already won too many games to truly bottom out and end up as one of the league’s worst six teams record-wise. And even if the Sixers did end up with one of the six worst records, there’s still a chance that pick falls out of their hands and into the Thunder’s if they’re leap-frogged by a team with lower odds on lottery night.
If the Sixers envision themselves as contenders next year, it would make sense to keep players like Martin, Oubre and Yabusele who can contribute to winning with a healthier roster.
This summer
76ers are highly likely to lose both Yabusele and 2025 first round pick?
It’s easy to reach 6th seed this season
If there is a good thing …..
Sixers in a tough spot.
But you nailed it. No wiser words were ever spoken.
“If there is a good thing…”
Not sure how I feel about Sixers.
Currently are 3 1/2 gms out of the 8 th seed. And a healthy Sixers team. Will be a tough out for any foe.
Then again by moving a few players. And just manage the tank this yr. They can add more than just a lottery pick. So would make them a deep and younger team next yr. Better equipped to challenge top teams in East. But ……. But can you count on Embiid.
Why are they a tough out? they never have been one before.
Never had this roster before. Are you stuck on pause ???? You do know what healthy means. Try searching preseason predictions.
link to sports.yahoo.com
Preseason predictions. Are you joking? I remember the preseason predictions, that all had the 76ers as the biggest threat to Boston in the East. Come to find out, the TD Garden is the biggest threat to the Celtics, as they are a joke at home. But, I laughed at those 76er predictions then, just as I do now, if you’re suggesting they’d be any sort of threat in the playoffs. Even a healthy Philadelphia team would get rolled in the playoffs, just like always, but we both know for a 100% fact, good old Joel Embiid and Paul George will be on the bench, in street clothes, once the playoffs arrive. As a Celtics fan, that’s the one team I’d want to play more than anybody. They are a joke.
Drummond, Gordon, Yabusele should all draw interest. Lakers should be all over Drummond.
Drummond and Davis on the Lakers? Then they’d still need someone to play the other 1/3 of their games.
We all know sixers don’t deserve a lottery pick Knickerbocker bro.
Knicks or Nuggets would offer 2 Seconds?
Didn’t Boston draft this guy, lol. I’m sure Philly can’t wait to help NY or Boston. Any which way, dudes a rental. Getting more than the minimum next season, something Boston and New York probably not up for.
They not only drafted him, they cut his azz. Pre Stevens tho.
Wasn’t as bad as RJ Hunter…maybe Ainge worse pick ever.
I remember the running joke when the Celtics drafted Smart and Young. “Can’t lose when you draft Smart and Young.” Well it looks like Young didn’t last long.
Smart turned out to be a stud. I’ve always loved this game, but Ainge left a little bit to be desired with his drafting skill.
But that’s a little harsh. It really is a crapshoot anyway. Coming from a warrior fan. I’ve seen it for 30 years lol.
Name the execs with a better drafting record than Ainge. What # was Rondo, Perkins, Smart? Drafted Tatum & Brown early in drafts they were not the headliners. Maybe Presti or Stone, Sure he missed on plenty, but name the guy you want making picks instead?
You guys are both correct. I just looked it all up. Considering Danny Ainge’s history of drafting, he’s had a lot more winners than losers.
How about next time I look these things up BEFORE I start writing my comments? That would be great.
Danny Ainge was a GREAT President of Basketball Ops. Look how he bamboozled everybody by trading DOWN to get Jayson Tatum, while dummy Magic Johnson drafted Lonzo Ball, and Philly drafted Markelle Fultz! Plus, after losing another rigged lottery in 2007, he wound up trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, while only having to give up two players of any significance, Al Jefferson and Jeff Green, then wound up getting Green back a couple years later, for that complete oaf, Kendrick Perkins. Then, after Ainge left, the Celtics got an even better President, Brad Stevens.
Warriors past on Larry Bird man. I mean what were five teams watching back then? Danny has nailed top picks but yeah, Hunter and Young sucked.
Bird was drafted a year before his final year in Indiana State. He was the nation’s leading scorer, but, playing at a mid-major, not the commodity he would become after his final season. Players like Bird (4 years out of HS, but going back to school) could be drafted, but had to be signed within the window after their final year of college and prior to the next draft. If not, the drafting team’s rights were vitiated and the guy went back in the next draft (no compensation for the drafting team). BOS didn’t sign him until right before the next draft. He got substantially more than the #1 pick that year (Magic) or any other rookie in history to that point.
Nrg, Fab Melo says “Howdy”.
I did say nuggets should get him.
Knicks now are in top 10 defensively. Are one of top teams on offense. So they have started to jell and settle down. I said wait till after all star gm.
Still they do need a consistent rim protector. And a consistent Scorer off the bench. They could also use size at the forward. With Mitch coming back at full strength for playoffs. Their biggest need would be a bench scorer. I’m not giving Mitch away. Most trades involving Mitch seem one sided. Like teams are doing us a favor. Writers agendas I guess.
A team that wants to tank. Could take Mitch and stash him to trade him next yr. Therefore getting more value. Or keep him as a defensive anchor. His contract is right. So I’m not giving Mitch away. Like most rumors have us doing. He can help Knicks this yr. And we can just move him at draft or next yr.
What Knicks must do. Is add scoring to bench. Gordon does that. Boucher does that. A scorer is top priority imo. And we can still add TJ Warren to bench for depth.
As a Sixers fan I want the Thunder to be interested.
I like Yabu, but he isn’t getting us our pick back…And likely won’t get us a 1st rounder at all. Maybe if you added Caleb Martin to the deal and took back a comparable contract the Thunder want to get out of…the only possibility I see is by adding Caleb to the mix…I’m not sure if the Thunder would be intrigued by that…or to what to degree they would value that offer
That would be a bless trade.
Yabusele is trash. Undersized PF, he’s not capable of helping anyone in the playoffs. Fell on Gabriel Deck in the Euroleague and Deck (arguably Argentina’s national team best player), tore his ACL.
Yabusele is butthurt from the Football World Cup final, in which Argentina tore France’s ass.
Any team trading away more than a top-55 protected second rounder and matching salary for Yabusele, will doom themselves, and get haunted in the playoffs for their own mistake.
You sound like the one who is hurting lol. No one is trading for this guy to build a team around. He’s a cheap, short term solution for teams that need depth. Take a breath drink some water bud
I’m not hurting, why would I be? What team do you root for, man? Besides, if your best player (I’m argentinian) is heavily injured by a rival who, by the way, is from a country which we have rivalry, you wouldn’t care about your player? Flipping it, if I’m Yabusele, I get injured, and you are french, and you don’t care, I would be pissed at you, being a supporter. I would consider changing my national team transfer, to play against you and ball out and win, and eliminate you.
PS: I like to be overdramatic, it’s fun. Don’t analyze it too deep. I don’t mean to heavily criticize no one.
If you think Yabusele is trash, you don’t know basketball, Junior. As a Celtics fan, I’d love to get him back, as a short term solution. Horford and Tillman are playing deplorable basketball this season, and Yabs is doing very well. I’d gladly take Yabusele and Drummond off the Sixers hands, for the stretch run!
If you are a Celtics fan and you rather have Yabusele instead of Horford, you don’t know basketball, Junior.
Campazzo is the best player in Argentina, thats why he runs Rela madrid and deck is just a riatiom player.
And argentina barely tore anything up, the qataris whitewashed their world cup the only way it was possible, helping messi win
Having said that a couple of second picks for yabusele coming from the bemch is fine
I just saw you are argentinian, ffs not even knowing your national team’s best player
I played against Campazzo in under 19s, he is a great player, very talented, and worked his ass off training, he really deserves to get where he got, a great player. Said this, the leading scorer for our National Team, and player who causes most problems for opposing defenses since Scola retired is Deck.
I was in attendance at the last World Cup Qualifying Tournament Final against Dominican Republic, played in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where I’m from (Peñarol, where Campazzo broke out, I played against him, and shined in the National League), and we sorely missed Deck’s scoring. Deck played 5 minutes because he was still recovering from this injury. We lost a 20-point lead at halftime, having to watch being defeated and Jean Montero scoring an important bucket in the clutch and taunting Campazzo, who is a thousand miles ahead as a player and in trajectory.
That’s why I hate on Yabusele. I watched the clip of the play the first time, and it seemed a tough landing on his knee, but I may be exaggerating and obviously he is French, Argentina’s rival. He’s playing actually well and got really better since being kicked out by the Celtics, I’m not blind. But I will hate on him anyway.
Demian, if you think the qataries gave the World Cup to Messi and Argentina, you know nothing about football, buddy.
Had argentina not won the world cup, it would have be known as the world cup of the dead workers, abusion and bribes. Now its known as the world cup messi won.
In euroleague deck is at best a rotation player, like those that real keeps swapping every year
Campazzo on the other hand is top 3 along with vezenkov and lesor.
Anyway i dont like yabusele that much, but he will be a good player to come from the bench, make a 3P and play hard
The discussion was about who is the most determinant player for Argentina’s National Team, not Real Madrid. You should know that it’s not necessarily a direct correlation between your club and national team’s roles.
You don’t seem to have watched Argentina’s National Basketball Team from 2020 to now.
Regarding your world cup accusations, those things happen in many global sporting events, sadly, so undermining Argentina’s National football team world championship performance for those things you say, self-funnels yourself into the corner of ridiculous opinions.
Yabusele and deck were teammates btw, this was just two weeks before the euroleague final four and it was a regular jump for a rebound, nothing dirty whatsoever
Horrible management. Always trading their players for greener grass. Letting everyone sit injured unless your last name is Fultz. Just like the Grizzlies not respecting what people do for them.
Yabusele was with Celtics for two years, 2017-2019. Stevens was coach and Tatum, Brown & Horford were playing and with Guerschon. Yabu brought us joy and energy. No announcers could pronounce his name. Funny but geez. This Celtic fan, I think among many, liked him and was sorry to see him go but to expect him back is too much. Of course, “trust in Stevens,” has worked so far.