Head coaching change aside, the New York Knicks did not make a bigger offseason acquisition than Guerschon Yabusele. They signed the Frenchman after a career year with the Philadelphia 76ers, using their taxpayer mid-level exception to do it. The big man's start to the season has been underwhelming, though, and recent reports from The Athletic stated that the Knicks are open to moving him before the trade deadline. That was confirmed by SNY's Ian Begley, who added on his show Tuesday that things do indeed seem headed toward an eventual trade.
Begley says Knicks' front office missed on Yabusele
The NBA Insider for SNY was honest but fair when discussing New York's swing for Yabusele in the past offseason.
"This was, so far, a miss for the front office, and we'll see where it goes from here," Begley said on his show The Putback. He went on to reference, and confirm, James L. Edwards III's report for The Athletic that the team's front office has been open to trading the 30-year-old French big.
"I think that that's probably the direction this goes," Begley said of a potential trade that would move Yabusele elsewhere. "Yabusele, the Knicks, they understand it's not working well and maybe, you know, you work together, you try to figure out what the next steps are."
Every dollar matters more with the second apron
The penalties inflicted by surpassing the NBA's new second apron are borderline draconian, heavily incentivizing teams to do what they must to avoid them. Begley also noted on The Putback that Yabusele's contract carrying a player option, and being larger than a traditional veteran's minimum, makes this a tough situation for the Knicks.
"They didn't spend a lot of money in free agency, they didn't have a lot of money to spend, but their biggest tool, they used to sign Guerschon Yabusele. And Yabusele was getting a lot of interest from other teams, Denver was right there with the Knicks at the end, so it's not like other teams had a different read than the Knicks," Begley told his guests.
"But when you make that kind of commitment, especially with the player-option second year, you're making a significant commitment in this era of second apron and every dollar mattering, meaning something."
The Knicks have made real strides in their pursuit of their first championship in decades. They made the Eastern Conference Finals, won the NBA Cup, and have a roster that looks ready to make a push this season. Yabusele hasn't played much of a role, which has been frustrating for him personally as well as fans that were eager to see him contribute.
A trade would be an upsetting end to a very short tenure as a member of the Knicks, but could end up best for both sides. Yabusele would be less frustrated about a lack of playing time, and the Knicks would get someone that fits Mike Brown's system better. No harm, no foul?