Guerschon Yabusele
Getty
Knicks' Guerschon Yabusele during a game against the Charlotte Hornets in October 2025
The New York Knicks have been repeatedly mentioned as a potential landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo over the past week, but the likelihood of a blockbuster move appears to be fading.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has suggested that New York is comfortable with its current core and is not preparing to make an all-in push for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar ahead of the February 5 trade deadline.
The Knicks’ recent surge has reinforced that stance. After a period of inconsistency, New York has caught fire with a seven-game winning streak, easing the pressure to gamble on a franchise-altering deal.
As a result, any deadline activity is increasingly viewed as more about roster housekeeping than aggressive upgrading.
New York Knicks Facing Sell-Oriented Deadline
If the Knicks do make a move before the deadline, the expectation is that it will lean towards selling rather than buying.
Much of that conversation has centered on Guerschon Yabusele, whose contract situation has become increasingly important for the front office to resolve.
Yabusele arrived in New York last offseason to a warm reception, but the on-court fit has not come together.
The 30-year-old has struggled to establish himself in head coach Mike Brown’s rotation, averaging just 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game across 41 appearances.
He is earning $5.5 million this season and holds a $5.7 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Knicks are motivated to move his contract before that option comes into play, making the trade deadline their final window to do so.
Yabusele has also been linked to a potential move overseas to Hapoel Tel Aviv, which would require a buyout with New York, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz.
Alternatively, the Knicks could trade Yabusele and allow a new team to handle the buyout process.
Knicks Navigate Uncertain Yabusele Market
Following New York’s 132-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, Yabusele addressed the speculation surrounding his future.
“I ain’t closing no door on nothing, I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to be,” Yabusele said, via The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “So right now I can tell you nothing has been discussed or signed or anything like that. I’m a Knicks player at the end of the day.”
“But there’s been teams calling, so yeah, I feel like the report was just them saying they want me and then everybody thought that I signed something already. No, nothing like that. But there’s some teams out there that we heard are getting ready to sign me if I go back that way. We’ll see what happens.”
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto previously reported that the Knicks have held discussions with both the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs involving Yabusele.
Scotto also noted that former first-round pick Pacome Dadiet was mentioned in talks with San Antonio centered on forward Jeremy Sochan, though the Spurs were reportedly unwilling to absorb Yabusele’s future player option.
Forbes’ Evan Sidery has also reported exploratory discussions between the Knicks and Phoenix Suns around a potential swap involving Yabusele and Nick Richards, though it remains unclear whether those talks advanced beyond early stages.
With the deadline approaching, one thing is clear, Yabusele’s contract has become one of New York’s most pressing situations to resolve in the coming days.