After a breakout performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, French forward Guerschon Yabusele is expected to sign a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Yabusele was France's second-leading scorer during the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 14 points and 3.3 rebounds, while shooting 52% from the field.
Yabusele's biggest performance came in the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament against Canada, a game many expected Canada to win. Yabusele put up 22 points in the win, leading France to the semifinals. He was elevated to the starting lineup of that game after Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier struggled during group play, and ended up proving it was the right decision. Yabusele, as well as Isaia Cordinier, were given the starting nod, and took complete advantage of the opportunity, often leading France in scoring for the remainder of the tournament.
Yabusele had one year left on his deal with EuroLeague powerhouse Real Madrid, and by signing with the Sixers means he's in the process of coming to an agreement on a buyout of his $2.5 million contract with them. There was a thought that Yabusele could play out the rest of his contract with Real Madrid this season, and look at making a return to the NBA next summer, per Marc Stein, but why wait when you're coming off a stretch like he is with the Olympics where the whole world just watched you drop 20 points in the gold-medal match against Team USA.
Right after helping lead France to a silver medal, Yabusele also expressed interest in returning to the NBA, posting on X (formerly known as Twitter) "Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. I'm ready."
This will be Yabusele's second stint in the NBA, after being drafted 16th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Appearing in just 74 games over two seasons after being drafted, and averaging just six minutes a game, Yabusele was waived by the Celtics in the summer of 2019. He then took his career overseas, where he spent time playing in France and China before finding a more permanent home with Real Madrid for the past three seasons.
While Yabusele didn't have a great time in the NBA the first time around, he should be more well equipped to be a productive role player now. He's a strong forward who can use his strength to get inside, and more importantly he can stretch the floor out to the 3-point line, something he wasn't capable of when he was initially drafted. It's a win-win situation for the Sixers on a minimum deal, because if Yabusele is able to continue what he did with France at the Olympics, he could be a valuable role player off the bench for a team that has championship aspirations this season. And if he struggles, well then they only signed him for one year and can move on after that. But Yabusele proved he can play in the NBA, and he should fit in well with the Sixers.