Guerschon Yabusele’s first season with the New York Knicks has been turbulent, to put it lightly, and it appears that turbulence isn’t ceasing.
Yabusele’s name has been the subject of trade rumors as the league’s Feb. 5 deadline approaches.
“It’s nothing that I can control,” he said of the rumors, per the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “Just try to be smart, [continue to prepare], [and be] as ready as I can. To go out there when my name is called and to give everything on the court.”
When the Frenchman signed a two-year, $12M deal with New York last offseason, he was expected to be a reliable rotational option, and justifiably so.
Throughout 70 games with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, he averaged 11 points and 5.6 rebounds while knocking down 38% of his three-point shots. Across 38 games this season, however, he has been invisible, averaging 2.8 points in 9.2 minutes while shooting just 30.8% from three.
Yabusele himself is just as surprised as everyone by his disappointing season, in which he is averaging under 10 minutes per game.
“It’s definitely not what I was expecting to [do] coming into the season,” he said before Sunday’s win over the 76ers on Saturday. “I thought it would be a little different.”
Against his former team on Saturday, the former first-round selection logged just three minutes and did not score a point.
According to NBA reporter Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Yabusele has drawn interest from around the league, with the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans among the teams.
At this point, it seems that the New York Knicks and Guerschon Yabusele parting ways ahead of Feb. 5’s deadline would be the best course of action for both parties.
