It’s been an interesting offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers, who are still trying to win a championship with Joel Embiid. They haven’t made a lot of moves this summer but they did let one of their own (French big man Guerschon Yabusele) go after insulting him with their offer. In an appearance on ‘Skweek’ the NBA big man called out his former team for making no attempt to bring him back after a career year.
“I didn’t have any issues over there,” said Yabusele. “If they want to re-sign me and give me something good I will come back, for sure. And if they want me to leave will leave, I didn’t have any hard feelings. But they almost didn’t really make an offer. They did, but it was really really low… I felt like ‘Oh my god, it seems like you don’t really want me to stay.’ It’s no hard feelings, but at the time I was thinking okay maybe they don’t want to.”
The 76ers signed Yabusele to a $2.5 million deal after an impressive showing at the Olympics, where he averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. At the time, the move was criticized and even clowned by some NBA personnel, who thought Philly was foolish for bringing him in and essentially wasting a roster spot.
In response, Guerschon played well for the 76ers with his best year yet as a pro. In 70 games (including 43 as a starter), he averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks per game on 50.1% shooting. He also averaged a career-high 27.1 minutes per game.
Despite his play, the 76ers refused to give him an acceptable contract offer, and it’s not the first time negotiations have gone south like this. In one now-infamous moment a few years ago, James Harden had to personally call out 76ers GM Daryl Morey after he tried to lowball an extension offer. In much the same way, Morey is being called out again for angering one of his own players in free agency.
Clearly, the 76ers have burned some bridges over the years, but they have a bigger problem that has yet to be addressed. Even with Joel Embiid set to return next season, there are doubts that their roster (with Paul George and Tyrese Maxey) can stay competitive in the East. Now, they’ll be without one of their key contributors from last season, who held down the frontcourt without Embiid.
After going 24-58 last season, it’s clear that the 76ers need a major overhaul, but starting the process will be no easy feat. Most of their players are under contract for years to come, and they have limited cap flexibility with their ultra-high payroll.
As an added obstacle, the Sixers are very much on the clock with Embiid set to turn 32 in March. He’s had trouble staying healthy his entire career, and he may not have much time left to add a title to his NBA resume. For their sake, they better hope that Guerschon Yabusele does not have a breakout season in New York, or it could lead to major regret about giving him up for nothing.
