The New York Knicks just played their biggest regular season game in decades, with their NBA Cup win over the San Antonio Spurs landing each player over $500,000 in prize money. Head coach Mike Brown opted not to play offseason Guerschon Yabusele in the Cup Finals. This was the team's loudest signal yet regarding their $11 million summer investment, as Brown went with second-year guard Tyler Kolek instead. With Yabusele becoming eligible to be traded on December 15, fans are wondering if this is it for his tenure in New York.
Yabusele, Knicks never got off to smooth start
Yabusele has played a year straight of professional basketball, from the Olympics to a season with the Philadelphia 76ers to EuroBasket and now another NBA season with the Knicks. When New York signed him in the offseason, their utilization of their taxpayer mid-level exception signaled that they were legitimately invested in Yabusele.
Brown told reporters consistently ahead of the regular season that the Frenchman would have one of the more strenuous adjustments on the team, given that he and Karl-Anthony Towns would need to master two different roles in his system: power forward and center. However, that adjustment still seems like it has not happened just yet.
The 30-year-old big man is averaging just 3.0 points per game this season in 9.8 minutes per game. His minutes were up-and-down early on but his DNP-CD in the Cup Finals showed fans that, when the chips are down, Yabusele isn't in Brown's most imminent plans.
Could NBA trade season end Yabu's time in NYC?
December 15 marked the date that over 80 players around the NBA became eligible to be dealt. The restrictions that came along with their contracts signed in the offseason lifted, broadening the possibilities for every team in the league on the proverbial trade machine.
The Knicks have certainly been involved in trade rumors recently, some reported first by this writer. Yabusele's performance thus far likely doesn't make him any team's priority on the market, but his reported salary being several times greater than the veteran minimum makes him a unique trade piece for New York's front office.
Brown has yet to unlock Yabusele, who has shined in some games this season, offensively. However, if the Knicks can find an upgrade on Yabusele that plays for a team interested in taking on the Frenchman despite his player option for 2026-27, they might want to check it out.
Selling low on 'Yabu' doesn't make much sense, especially for a contending team looking to ensure that its ceiling is championship-level. That said, you never know exactly what other NBA teamsare looking for: and what they might offer to get it.