Sixers

Report: 76ers Sign French Olympic Standout Guerschon Yabusele to 1-Year Contract

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Matt Gregan
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Matt Gregan Sports Editor

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Published18 Aug 2024

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The Philadelphia 76ers have reached an agreement to sign Guerschon Yabusele to a one-year contract for $2.1 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported Yabusele was “in serious talks” to sign a deal with the Sixers. Less than an hour later, Yabusele officially signed a contract with Philadelphia.

Yabusele bounced around both the NBA and international basketball over the last handful of years. He was originally drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The 28-year old struggled to produce at the NBA level. Through 74 games, Yabusele averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per contest.

After falling completely out of the NBA, Yabusele spent much of the past four years competing in the EuroLeague. He established himself playing for Real Madrid. Over the past three seasons, Yabusele averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.

Yabusele then proceeded to shine in the 2024 Olympic Games, playing a large role in helping France make it to the gold medal game. After not playing much of a role in the group stage, Yabusele flipped a switch and took things to another level. Between the quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals, he averaged 19.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. His biggest moment came against Team USA in the gold-medal game when he dunked over LeBron James.

The French native slots in well to the Sixers’ roster. He possesses good size (6-foot-8), solid mobility and a high motor at the power forward position. After struggling to space the floor in his two seasons with the Celtics, Yabusele’s shooting numbers have ticked up in recent years. His 3-point shooting improved to 44.1% over the last two seasons with Real Madrid. However, he took just 2.7 long-distance attempts per game. It is unclear if his improved shooting is something that will carry over to the NBA.

The Sixers were thin at power forward. The addition of Yabusele to the roster has the potential to alleviate a lot of the concerns about the team lacking a true player at that position. He will compete for backup power forward minutes against KJ Martin and Ricky Council IV.

After signing Yabusele, the Sixers will be up to 14 players on the roster. Philadelphia will still have one more roster spot remaining, although president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is likely to leave it open to generate mid-season flexibility.

Real Madrid had to agree to buyout the remainder of Yabusele’s $2.5 million contract. According to Charania’s reporting, the Sixers will be on the hook for a maximum of $850,000. Real Madrid is paying Yabusele the remainder of the contract, standing at roughly $1.6 million.

Yabusele has a lot of potential to make his second stint in the NBA a positive one. His combination of size, motor and improved outside shooting should set him up to have an immediate role in the Sixers’ rotation. The Yabusele signing appears to be yet another positive move in what has been a strong offseason for the Sixers.