Guerschon Yabusele's underwhelming time with the New York Knicks has officially come to a close. In a recent trade, he is being sent to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Dalen Terry, as reported by ESPN just before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
This move isn’t particularly shocking, especially since The Post had previously indicated that the Knicks were actively seeking to offload Yabusele due to his struggles on the court.
Yabusele had signed a two-year contract worth approximately $12 million last offseason, which included a player option for the following year. There was a concern that the Knicks might have needed to offer draft picks to persuade another team to take on his contract, but the fact that they managed to execute this trade without giving up any additional assets is certainly a positive outcome for them.
As the most significant free agent acquisition for the Knicks in the last two years—since the signing of Donte DiVincenzo—Yabusele was expected to play a crucial role on what was envisioned to be a bolstered bench, especially after his impressive performance with the French national team during the 2024 Olympics and his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers last season. Unfortunately, his fit within coach Mike Brown’s system has been far from ideal, leading to a significant reduction in his playing time. It’s worth noting that Yabusele signed with the Knicks prior to Brown’s official hiring as head coach, which might have contributed to this mismatch.
In the 41 games that Yabusele played for the Knicks, he averaged just 2.7 points, shooting 39.3 percent from the field and a disappointing 29.4 percent from beyond the arc. He has not appeared in the last three games as trade talks were ongoing, which likely contributed to speculation about his future with the team.
Earlier this week, Yabusele seemed to acknowledge the shifting tides, stating, "I’m blessed for everything that’s happened in my career so far, to be able to be in here with the New York Knicks and everything. I’m just blessed for that and I’ll take it as it comes."
On the other side of the trade, Dalen Terry, a guard entering his fourth year in the league, boasts averages of 3.5 points per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and an impressive 41.3 percent from three-point range. With Terry set to become a free agent at the end of this season, the Knicks have successfully extricated themselves from Yabusele’s contract obligations for next year by acquiring an expiring deal instead.
But here's where it gets controversial: Was trading Yabusele the right move for the Knicks, or could they have given him more time to adjust? What do you think—did the Knicks make a wise decision, or should they have held onto Yabusele a bit longer? Share your thoughts!
