Guerschon Yabusele was a rare bright spot for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. The veteran forward joined the Sixers during the summer after impressing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He quickly established himself as a key part of Nick Nurse’s rotation.
Yabusele is heading for unrestricted free agency. He only signed a one-year veteran minimum deal with the Sixers last season. As such, Yabusele is free to sign with any team in the NBA. However, it would appear that Daryl Morey is keen on retaining Yabusele, if possible.
“We love what Guerschon was able to bring,” Morey said, via Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “I think that was a great job by our scouting department. A great job by the coaching staff getting the most out of him. Just like Paul (George), he got pressed into some roles that were a little different that he thought. We thought he was gonna play more of the 4 and he’s excelled there. He gave us a lot of minutes at the 5 as well.”
Morey continued.
“The team going forward, I think his mix of minutes will be a little different when we’re healthy and we really like his fit going forward so we would like to retain him,” Morey finished. “Obviously, he’s an unrestricted free agent so it’s not for sure whenever that happens, but we would like to retain him.”
Yabusele played in 70 games for the Sixers this season. He averaged 11 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot 50.1% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.
Lonnie Walker IV Wants to Stay With Sixers
During a recent end-of-season news conference, Lonnie Walker IV, who joined the Sixers midway through the season, declared his interest in remaining with the franchise moving forward.
“I mean, you have terrific players,” Walker explained. “Paul George, Joel (Embiid), Tyrese (Maxey), Kelly Oubre, you have great players who, you know, that this is a playoff team, and that’s what it’s all about, trying to get a championship, and I mean, nothing like being close to home, and representing the home team and being part of not just Philadelphia, but Pennsylvania as a whole…So, you know, all in God’s favor. Wherever He intends to put me, but definitely would love to be back.”
The Sixers have a team option for next season on Walker’s contract worth $2.9 million. Morey is yet to exercise that option, though. As such, all Walker can do is wait and see whether he will be back in Nick Nurse’s rotation next season.
Sixers’ Paul George Speaks on Frustrating Season
Paul George didn’t have the debut season he would have liked. The veteran forward struggled to produce at his usual high level, much to the disdain of Sixers fans around the world. During a recent interview with Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, George discussed his deflating debut year in Philadelphia.
“To be honest, it was one of the toughest seasons for me. Just with a lot of adversity on the court, off the court,” George said. “The injury stuff … was some stuff I didn’t necessarily know I had going on until deep diving and finding out. There was other stuff I didn’t know that was causing my limitations, which was frustrating — not being able to do things I normally could do, and finding out the reason why. Those things are being addressed, so that’s the positive.”
The Sixers are expected to rebuild their supporting cast this summer. Hopefully, with some younger teammates and a bigger focus on health, Sixers fans can see George at his best moving forward. Of course, that means staying injury-free, and that is something George has struggled to do in recent years.
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