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Guerschon Yabusele is garnering trade interest in his second stint in the NBA.
The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey named Yabusele as the Philadelphia 76ers’ “most enticing trade target for opposing teams” ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline.
Pompey named the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets as teams interested in acquiring the former 2016 first-round pick.
Yabusele began his NBA career by playing two seasons with the Boston Celtics before the team waived him in the summer of 2019.
He spent several years playing professionally in China, France and Spain before the Sixers brought Yabusele back to the NBA on a one-year veteran minimum contract.
Having played his way into a starting role while averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, Yabusele has likely out-earned his $2 million salary this season.
The Sixers likely aren’t in a position to give him a raise next season after committing to pay more than $135 million to Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey in 2025-26.
Deciding whether to take advantage of the jump in Yabusele’s value to trade him this winter could hinge on if the Sixers see themselves as a postseason contender.
Heading into Sunday with a 19-28 record, the Sixers one game back from the Chicago Bulls for the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
If the Sixers decide to push for the play-in round, keeping Yabusele, who played well during a recent four-game winning streak that lifted Philadelphia closer to the playoff picture, could be key to the team’s postseason hopes.
If Philadelphia decides to sell at the deadline, however, the team could be better served by taking advantage of Yabusele’s value to a win-now team by picking up draft assets.
SNY’s Ian Begley previously reported that the Knicks had checked in with the Sixers regarding Yabusele, and that his .400 shooting on 3.9 attempted 3-pointers per game could “benefit a Knick team that wants to keep the floor spread on offense.”
The Nuggets have been in need of frontcourt depth throughout the 2024-25 season. Denver’s bench has contributed 10.2 points per game, good for 27th in the NBA, through 49 games this season. Adding Yabusele as a depth option behind Nikola Jokić could help this team gear up for a playoff run.
The Celtics added to their frontcourt depth ahead of the 2024 trade deadline by adding Xavier Tillman Sr., but Tillman’s playing time has dropped to an average of just seven minutes through 26 games so far this season. Replacing him with Yabusele could be a bench upgrade for the defending champions.
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