Right when their previous campaign ended, the Philadelphia 76ers immediately acknowledged for the team to reinvent the roster, at least on the margins. While they were probably desirous of a more boisterous summer, the front office simply did not have sufficient ammo to be a key player in the free agency market thanks to their muddled payroll.
Coming to terms on a new deal with Quentin Grimes took utmost priority, but not far behind from that front on their offseason checklist was the then-impending free agency of Guerschon Yabusele. Everyone wanted — and expected — the 76ers to quickly ink the Frenchman to a new contract, but to the shock of many, Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and the entire front office did not even seem particularly interested in paying up to keep him.
Lo and behold, the 76ers reportedly only extended an offer a tad above the minimum to Yabusele. Ultimately, it was the Knicks which gave him a more handsome payday, leading him to the Big Apple, much to the chagrin of fans who became endeared to what the burly forward offered in his comeback season in the NBA.
However, as it turns out, the 76ers may have actually made the right read with regard to Yabusele.
The 76ers may be correct in not re-signing Guerschon Yabusele after all
With the Knicks needing depth at power forward, it only seemed inevitable that Yabusele was going to have a prominent role in their rotation. However, that has not 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 only averaged 9.4 minutes per outing, a far cry from the 27.4 minutes per game that he averaged last season for the 76ers. He was even inactive for one of those contests. As can be clearly seen, New York has not been as high on the Frenchman as people initially expected.
Meanwhile, the players whom the 76ers signed to replace Yabusele have been nothing but impressive. Trendon Watford seems like he is going to be a major player for the team this season. Dominick Barlow has massively outplayed his two-way deal amounting to chump change. Even Jabari Walker has been serviceable to kick things off.
There is no denying that Yabusele was one of the few reasons as to why the 76ers were even slightly watchable last season. However, there was probably a good reason why the front office did not bother extending him a bigger offer in free agency, and now, it is starting to make sense.