Guerschon Yabusele’s NBA gamble and how it could soon flip

This summer is shaping up to be a busy one for Guerschon Yabusele. The French forward took a big risk last year when he left Real Madrid, paying his own release clause to sign a minimum-salary deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. One season later – despite a forgettable year for the franchise – his personal performance has been a clear success.

Is Yabusele leaving the Sixers?

“It went really well,” he said. “The team finished way below expectations, but on a personal level, I felt really good and I’m very happy to be here, playing at my level, getting a lot of minutes and showing that this is where I belong.”

Yabusele has won over Sixers fans and earned the respect of both the coaching staff and his teammates. He averaged 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and shot 38% from three across 27.1 minutes per game, starting in 49 of them. Injuries on the roster gave him more opportunities, and he made the most of them. Management would like to keep him, but intentions don’t always align with reality – and Philadelphia’s finances are going to be tight. So tight, in fact, that Yabusele will likely have to find a new team for next season.

The 28-year-old is now a free agent, and there’s no doubt he’ll have options in the NBA – whether that’s in Philadelphia or elsewhere. He’s earned that. But the Sixers will have very little cap room to work with. Beyond their three massive contracts – Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey – there are also three veterans (Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon) with player options they’re all expected to exercise.

Grimes taking advantage of injuries

Then there’s Quentin Grimes, who joined from Dallas on February 4 and has made excellent use of the minutes left behind by injured players: since arriving in Philadelphia, he’s averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and hit 37.3% of his threes in 33.7 minutes a night. A shooting guard who fits the league’s ideal mold of scorer and defender, and who just turned 25, Grimes is a clear asset. The Sixers will surely want to keep him – but doing so may mean using their $14.1 million midlevel exception.

As Mark Stein and Jake Fischer noted on Stein’s podcast: “The Sixers are expected to operate near – or even above – the second apron next season as they prepare to give Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey another shot at chasing a title, after the trio managed just 15 games (7–8 record) together this season. With three Sixers veterans – Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon – likely to opt in to their player options, it’s looking increasingly difficult for Philly to re-sign their beloved forward Guerschon Yabusele. The former French first-round pick, who played last season on a minimum contract, is expected to have a strong market in free agency.”

The best-case scenario for the Sixers might be to offer a 1+1 deal worth under $3 million per year, hoping Yabusele delivers another solid season and then, with more cap flexibility in 2026, offer him a four-year, $60 million contract. But that hinges on the forward accepting another year on minimum pay – without any guarantee of the big deal later. Meanwhile, it’s more than likely he could land a lucrative offer elsewhere right now.

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