Guerschon Yabusele is expected to be one of the more sought after bigs in free agency this summer after a strong season with the 76ers. The former Celtics forward got a second chance in the NBA last year in Philadelphia and made the most of his opportunity, posting career highs in points, rebounds and 3-point shooting percentage while serving as a bright spot for the 76ers. That strong production combined with great play with France during the 2024 Olympics is earning the attention of free agent suitors for Yabusele as he hits the open market this summer.
Michael Scotto of Hoopshype reports that one of those suitors is expected to be the San Antonio Spurs, where he could reunite with his French teammate Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs have the No. 2 overall pick in the draft but are expected to draft a wing in Dylan Harper. That leaves them open to adding help in the front court, where they are expected to have access to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14 million).
Yabusele isn’t expected to return to Philadelphia after averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Sixers while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. The 76ers want to retain the big man but Philadelphia will not have the financial flexibility to offer Yabusele much money due to their salary cap crunch. They don’t have Bird Rights on Yabusele so they can offer him just 120 percent of his previous deal ($2.3 million) unless they clear out some salary elsewhere to open up the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Even in that scenario, the Spurs and several other teams have the ability to outbid the Sixers for Yabusele if they opt to. Philadelphia likely will need to make a decision between retaining Quentin Grimes or going after Yabusele unless they can dump the salaries of some other players (Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon) in the coming weeks.
Yabusele would make for an interesting fit next to Wemanyama with his ability to spread the floor. The Spurs do not have much size under contract for next season with Charles Bassey currently their only big man on the roster besides Wemby. Bismack Biyombo is currently a free agent.
NBA free agency will officially open on Monday night.