Out of all the players who went up against the mighty Team USA, Guerschon Yabusele shocked the world in the Final. His poster on LeBron James had fans jump out of their seats! But that wasn’t the only highlight of the game. The 6’8 forward scored 20 points alongside 43% shooting from the field. However, he wasn’t the main man only in the game against Team USA. Guerschon had similar showcases against Germany and Canada, leaving them in the dust. Yes, his performance in the Olympics was surprising and entertaining. However, is Yabusele good enough for a promising NBA contract? Unfortunately, it comes with a big sacrifice.

Yabusele is currently playing for Real Madrid and has been a club member since 2021. The Frenchman has played in the NBA before, wearing the Celtics jersey for two years. Yabusele wasn’t that great in the league, which made him sign up for Real Madrid in the first place. Nevertheless, he is looking to make a comeback, as he wrote, “Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. I’m ready 😤🧸” on X, and already has a franchise interested in him! However, there will be a few financial complications about his signing.

Yabusele has a $2.5 million NBA buyout with just a season left on his Real Madrid contract. As per the rules, an NBA team cannot pay more than $850,000 for a player’s buyout from his current contract and if the interested franchise is willing to give the $850K, the rest of the amount will go out from the player’s future NBA contract. That being said, paying around $1.6 million to complete the buyout shouldn’t be a challenge for Yabusele, right?

Well, it wouldn’t be a challenge as long as he’s given the right contract.

“‘Hey if I’m (Yabusele) is going to do this, I need a chunk of one of your exceptions. I need at least 4 or 5 million, so I’m making some money because I don’t want to just turn around and hand all of my salary to Real Madrid’… so that’s the challenge.”, Keith Smith said on the NBA Front Office pod.

After his brief display of talent and efficiency in the Olympics, it is quite clear that he won’t be settling for a minimum contract because a huge amount will go towards completing the buyout. One of the teams that is interested in signing him is the Cavs. The Cleveland side could use someone like the Frenchman to take care of the boards and help in scoring. In his recent season with Real Madrid, Yabusele averaged 10.5 points and a smidgen under 5 rebounds while shooting over 56% from the field and over 46% from deep.

Moreover, he’s an absolute unit in the paint and a great defender, helping Allen and Mobley off the bench. While his stat line isn’t as eye-opening, he’s still a solid role player, when it comes to adding depth to the roster. However, the Cavs will have to make a constructive decision, considering the buyout as well as his longevity.

Guerschon Yabusele does not have a lot of time!

Even though Yabusele is just 28, at the end of the day, he only has a few years as a healthy and fit asset. He is quite aggressive and physical with his style of play. But of course, in the long run, these attributes seem to wear out. If the Cavs decide to sign him in a 4-year $16-$20 million deal, the Frenchman would happily consider the offer, considering it’d comfortably cover the buyout as well. Yes, there’s a lot of buzz around his name following the Olympics, as fans and critics want to see him play in the NBA.

If case you’re wondering, the Frenchman averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 boards across 74 games from 2017 to 2019 in the ‘World Champions’ hoops league. However, keeping in sync with the post-Olympic buzz, Yabusele is aware of his value in the market and so far, he’s playing his cards just right. NBA Insider Marc Stein also noted that the 28-year-old’s buyout was only $1 million had teams pursued him before July 15. A long-planned strategic move by the Spanish side, don’t you think?

It will be interesting to see whether the Cavs sign the Frenchman before the start of the regular season. What are your thoughts on Yabusele making his NBA comeback? Do you think he’ll be as dominant as he was in the Olympics? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.