The New York Knicks have some serious improvements to make. They have been slowly tumbling down the East standings as of late (though they’ve only fallen a single spot), and as the trade deadline approaches, they should be considering anything. And while no moves have been confirmed, Guerschon Yabusele all but revealed that he could be traded.
On Twitter, Yabusele posted a message to his followers: “Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m extremely blessed to be in the position that I am today. Minor setback for major comeback that’s my favorite. Love y'all 🖤 #777” Though the tweet doesn’t confirm anything, it certainly sends a cryptic message.
And Yabusele getting traded would make a lot of sense.
Will Guerschon Yabusele be traded?
When New York signed Yabusele this summer, he was primed to be a staple of their big man rotation. Karl-Anthony Towns was always going to be an obvious starter, but after that, everything was up in the air.
Mitchell Robinson’s injury issues made his place in the rotation relatively unclear, and all of the other bigs on the roster had very little NBA experience.
Yabusele’s ability to play the four also gave Mike Brown some solid flexibility, as he could play double-big lineups with Towns and/or Robinson. At least, he could, in theory.
Now, roughly halfway through the season, Yabusele has become a rotational afterthought. He’s only playing 9.4 minutes per contest—roughly the same as second-year center Ariel Hukporti—and with how many other needs the Knicks’ roster has, it makes sense to move on.
Yabusele tweeting about ‘whatever happens tomorrow’ is a pretty odd thing to say. Perhaps there will be something else going on in his life, but it seems very plausible that he could be on the move.
The Knicks are in a pretty sticky situation in terms of actually making trades from a financial standpoint. They are hard-capped at the first apron, meaning they can’t trade Yabusele for more than his contract is worth ($5.5 million).
Still, that gives them some decent options to consider around the league. The question is, what should they try to trade him for?
New York has been linked to New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, who could provide them with some solid guard depth. And recently, they were also reported to have some level of interest in Yves Missi, too.
Adding to the guard room would be smart, despite the Knicks having a few options at that position. They could use a more defensive-minded player, and Alvarado fits that bill (at least a little bit).