Guerschon Yabusele's tenure as a New York Knick ended up going much differently than anyone planned. The Knicks signed Yabusele to be their biggest offseason addition outside of new head coach Mike Brown. The Frenchman was barely in the rotation by December and was reportedly hoping for a trade, with both fans and the player himself frustrated over his lack of involvement. In the Knicks' latest stroke of genius, though, they somehow flipped Yabusele into top trade target Jose Alvarado. It was revealed afterwards that Yabusele waived his player option to help make that happen.
Yabusele waives player option to facilitate trade to Bulls
The Knicks had been looking to move Yabusele for quite some time, with rumors surfacing that they'd need to include draft capital to move off of his contract. Deals made by other teams around the league showed that two second-round picks was the going price for a team to shed money, but none of those players had a player option for the 2026-27 season like Yabusele.
According to K.C. Johnson, though, Yabusele worked with New York's front office to remove the player option from his contract for next season. That's what allowed them to trade him to Chicago, and eventually re-route Dalen Terry to the New Orleans Pelicans, and receive Jose Alvarado in return.
Yabusele being amenable to changing the terms of his contract allows him to get an opportunity to play. That opportunity comes as a result of New York being able to trade him without sacrificing any draft capital to make it happen.
If Yabusele hadn't amended his contract, the Knicks would not have had enough picks to both move off of his deal while also acquiring Alvarado's. Knicks insider Ian Begley wrote afterwards that the 30-year-old Frenchman, and his desires, were instrumental to the team's trade for Alvarado.
"If Guerschon Yabusele didn't work w/Knicks to amend contract & decline player option, it's safe to say trade w/Bulls doesn't happen. If trade w/CHI doesn't happen, it would have been more difficult for NYK to land Jose Alvarado. Yabusele really wanted to play this season. He gets that opportunity in CHI," Begley wrote.
Alvarado joins Knicks at the perfect time
The Knicks' interest in Alvarado dates back to the beginning of the season, when ClutchPoints reported that the team had engaged in trade discussions with the Pelicans involving the Brooklynite. The Knicks' acquisition of Alvarado came at an opportune time for the franchise, considering the unfortunate news from Thursday that reserve guard Deuce McBride has to undergo surgery that will hold him out until the playoffs (according to The Athletic).
Alvarado can help New York sustain their success throughout the time that McBride has to miss, allowing them to head into the playoffs with a hopefully-fully healthy roster. Until then, the 27-year-old point guard will have plenty of opportunities with New York's second unit to get acclimated to his new coach and teammates.