Nobody wanted this to go this way. Guerschon Yabusele's start to the 2025-26 season has not been what the New York Knicks likely had in mind when they signed him with their taxpayer mid-level exception. The lack of playing time was probably not what the Frenchman was expecting when his salary was more than doubled after a career year with the Philadelphia 76ers. The big man has appeared in 26 of the team's 29 games thus far but has only played an average of 9.6 minutes. That effectively leaves the Knicks with two options when it comes to Yabu: play him or trade him.
Have the Knicks already decided Yabusele's future?
It's starting to feel like the team is leaning toward the latter of those two options. Those feelings got stronger with Monday's report that rival teams are getting the sense that the Knicks are open to moving Yabusele, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
That report comes in the wake of a recent quote given by Yabusele to AFP and Basket USA about his role, or lack of one, with the Knicks thus far this season. He described the situation as "difficult" ahead of the Knicks' NBA Cup Final matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, in which he did not play because of a coach's decision. He added that because he's a competitor, it's hard to watch from the sidelines.
Yabusele is far from "festering" on the sidelines and often posts messages to social media thanking fans for their support – or rallying them ahead of games. The Knicks themselves are likely not upset at their 20-8 record and NBA Cup trophy coming at the potential cost of Yabusele being more heavily integrated into the nightly rotation.
Could a trade be best for both sides?
However, continuing to leave the Frenchman on the sidelines might not be best for either side in this case. The Knicks are trying to make a deeper run in the playoffs than last year. In the era of the second apron, every roster spot and every dollar spent are worthy of both scrutiny and optimization.
Yabusele, who returned to the NBA after several years abroad, is clearly not enamored with watching from the bench. Could the Knicks potentially knock two birds out at once with a trade? Getting Yabusele to a team that would play him more often could also land a player in New York that is a better fit for head coach Mike Brown's system.
The skilled Frenchman is definitely a capable NBA player. However, he was deployed most in Philadelphia as a small-ball center, a role that makes less sense in New York given the importance of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson to the team's identity. Brown has even turned to second-year center Ariel Hukporti over Yabusele in games where Robinson and Towns are out, because of his ability to protect the rim.
Trading away Yabusele for the sake of it wouldn't be smart, as one should say of any player, but if something makes sense? The Knicks should be interested. Yabusele's salary provides the team access to a different range of players than the smaller deals of their younger players or veterans on minimum deals.