{"id":121670,"date":"2025-02-03T15:01:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=121670"},"modified":"2025-02-03T15:06:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:06:07","slug":"celtics-guerschon-yabusele-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/03\/celtics-guerschon-yabusele-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics Eyeing Reunion With Fan Favorite\u00a0at the Trade Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching on February 6th, rumors are swirling. The<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/07\/3-celtics-trade-candidates\/\" target=\"_self\"> Boston Celtics<\/a> aren&#8217;t expected to make a major, but they have been linked to several players to improve their depth. Recently,\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/lists\/nba-intel-deaaron-fox-trade-talks-spurs-rockets-heat-nets-76ers-hawks-pistons\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Scotto<\/a>\u00a0of HoopsHype reported that the Celtics are interested in trading for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yabusgu01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guerschon Yabusele<\/a>. The 6-foot-8 forward-center spent his first two seasons with the Celtics from 2017 to 2019 before having a five-year stint in Europe, in his NBA return season,\u00a0Yabusele has been incredibly productive, making him a desirable trade target. Let&#8217;s dive into the possibility of the Celtics trading for Yabusele.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Denver Nuggets are among the teams showing interest in Guerschon Yabusele, per <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeAScotto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MikeAScotto<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral teams have expressed interest in trading for Yabusele, including the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and others, league\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kJMETtutef\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kJMETtutef<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1885107333174342027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Celtics Eyeing Reunion With Fan Favorite\u00a0Guerschon Yabusele\u00a0at the Trade Deadline<\/h2>\n<p>In his first two seasons with the Celtics,\u00a0Yabusele averaged just 6.6 minutes, 2.3 points, and 1.4 rebounds. Despite not playing much, the Dancing Bear was always a fan favorite in Boston. However, he has been a revelation with the Philadelphia 76ers this year.\u00a0Guerschon is averaging 26.6 minutes, 11 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 51.5\/40.2\/71.1 shooting splits. Yabusele had a stellar 2024 Olympics, which reignited his NBA interest. When he was a free agent the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/12\/6-teams-considered-possible-landing-spots-for-2016-first-round-draft-choice\/\" target=\"_self\">Celtics pursued Yabusele<\/a>. Moreover, there have been <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/18\/boston-celtics-reunion-candidates-javonte-green-daniel-theis-guerschon-yabusele\/\" target=\"_self\">Celtics-Yabusele trade rumors<\/a> for months. The 76ers are currently the 11-seed with 19-29, making it possible that they bottom out and trade some of their win-now assets. After Yabusele\u00a0recently had an impressive 21-point-six rebound outing against the Celtics, they could further look into trading for him.<\/p>\n<h3>Yabusele is a Perfect Fit With the Celtics<\/h3>\n<p>Yabusele is a highly versatile player, especially on offense. He can score inside and attack mismatches, all while spacing the floor. Yabusele is <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/catch-shoot?TeamID=1610612755&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=CATCH_SHOOT_FG3_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shooting<\/a> an impressive 42 percent on 3.7 catch-and-shoot threes per game and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/player\/1627824\/shooting\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">70.5<\/a> percent on shots at the rim. The Sixers&#8217; offense is a <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/team\/1610612755\/onoffcourt-summary?dir=D&amp;sort=DIFF_OFF_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">+6.9<\/a> with Yabusele on the court.\u00a0Yabusele&#8217;s\u00a0inside-out game makes him an ideal fit for the Celtics; he gives them an efficient interior scoring threat and another three-point shooter. In his previous stint with Boston,\u00a0Yabusele&#8217;s three-point shot wasn&#8217;t developed yet now, with an outside shot, especially in Joe Mazzulla&#8217;s system, he would thrive.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Yabusele&#8217;s versatility would allow the Celtics to run a variety of lineups with him. Boston could use him as a forward next to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/horfoal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Al Horford<\/a>, they could also play him at the small ball five. This season, Yabusele has played a ton of center minutes without <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/embiijo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joel Embiid<\/a>. Defensively, Yabusele&#8217;s strength allows him to guard opposing centers. Furthermore, his athleticism makes him capable of guarding many opposing fours.\u00a0Overall, adding a physical, and well-rounded player like Yabusele would be perfect for the Celtics.<\/p>\n<h3>Why Trading for\u00a0Yabusele is Challenging<\/h3>\n<p>Trading for Yabusele would greatly excite Celtics fans. However, there are some roadblocks attached to trading for him. Ahead of the deadline,\u00a0Yabusele is seen as a hot commodity. This could cause the Sixers to hang on to him or the Celtics to get into a bidding war. Unlike many other <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/21\/celtics-trade-targets\/\" target=\"_self\">Celtics&#8217; trade targets,\u00a0<\/a>Yabusele would come at a significant cost asset-wise. This would include trading a player such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sprinja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaden Springer<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tillmxa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-03_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xavier Tillman<\/a> to match his salary, along with multiple picks, perhaps a first-round pick.<\/p>\n<p>While this isn&#8217;t bad value, the Celtics already have a loaded rotation, and targeting someone cheaper could be prudent. Additionally, another team could easily outbid Boston. Yabusele&#8217;s $2 million contract is attainable even given the Celtics&#8217; standing as a second-apron team. However, Guerschon is a pending free agent, and re-signing him would be challenging for the Celtics, given their financial situation. Yabusele would boost the Celtics&#8217; depth and title chances, however, depending on the price, it might be better to go in another direction. Ultimately, Yabusele seems like a high-end target for the Celtics; if they trade for him, they must be confident that they can re-sign him.<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 Kyle Ross-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching on February 6th, rumors are swirling. The Boston Celtics aren&#8217;t expected to make a major, but they have been linked to several players to improve their depth. Recently,\u00a0Michael Scotto\u00a0of HoopsHype reported that the Celtics are interested in trading for Guerschon Yabusele. The 6-foot-8 forward-center spent his first two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":121746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,5,62,13],"tags":[797,662],"class_list":["post-121670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-nba","category-76ers","tag-guerschon-yabusele","tag-nba-trade-deadline"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121670"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121753,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121670\/revisions\/121753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}