Right as their previous campaign ended, the Philadelphia 76ers immediately recognized that the team needed to reinvent the roster, at least on the margins. While they probably wished for a more heady summer, the front office simply didn’t have enough ammunition to be a major player in the free agency market, thanks to their messy payroll.
Reaching a new deal with Quentin Grimes was the top priority, but not far behind on their offseason checklist was the then-impending free agency of Guerschon Yabusele. Everyone wanted – and expected – the 76ers to sign the Frenchman to a new contract quickly, but to the shock of many, Daryl Morey, Elton Brand and the entire front office didn’t even seem particularly interested in paying to keep him.
Lo and behold, the 76ers reportedly only made an offer slightly above the minimum to Yabusele. Ultimately, it was the Knicks who gave him a brighter payday and led him to the Big Apple, much to the chagrin of fans who became enamored with what the burly forward had to offer during his comeback season in the NBA.
However, it turns out that the 76ers may have made the right interpretation regarding Yabusele.
The 76ers may be right not to re-sign Guerschon Yabusele
With the Knicks needing depth at power, it only seemed inevitable that Yabusele would play a prominent role in their rotation. However, that hasn’t been the case at all as he is now starting to fall out of favor in new head coach Mike Brown’s depth chart.
Through six games, Yabusele has played just 9.4 minutes per game, a far cry from the 27.4 minutes per game he averaged for the 76ers last season. He was even inactive for one of those matches. As can clearly be seen, New York is not as high on the Frenchman as initially expected.
Meanwhile, the players the 76ers signed to replace Yabusele were nothing but impressive. It looks like Trendon Watford will be an important player for the team this season. Dominick Barlow does his two-way deal played out big time which amounts to major change. Even Jabari Walker was able to get things going.
There’s no denying that Yabusele was one of the few reasons the 76ers were even remotely watchable last season. However, there was probably a good reason why the front office didn’t bother giving him a bigger offer in free agency, and now it’s starting to make sense.
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