By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Guerschon Yabusele bet on himself during the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season.
After appearing in 41 games for the New York Knicks with limited production of 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest, the 30-year-old forward was traded to the Chicago Bulls in February. To facilitate the move and prioritize on-court opportunity over financial security, Yabusele took the rare step of amending his contract to remove a $5.78 million player option for the 2026-27 season. Now playing on a one-year, $5.5 million deal, the veteran of 223 NBA games is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
In a recent conversation with L’Equipe’s Maxime Aubin, Yabusele addressed his decision to walk away from guaranteed money: “It’s love for basketball. Maybe this summer I’ll regret it. Who knows? But that’s how it is. I truly love competition. When you’ve experienced the highest level, when you’ve played games like the ones we had at the Olympics with France, it’s hard to sit on the bench watching others play.”
« Je ne suis pas quelqu’un de rancunier »
Interview avec @yabusele28 à San Antonio.
Mis sur le marché dès février par les Knicks, où il n’a que très peu joué, l’ailier-fort tricolore a vite et bien rebondi à Chicago.
Au point de se voir offrir un contrat longue durée cet… pic.twitter.com/pB8G7EwNqL
— Maxime Aubin (@MaximeAubin1) April 3, 2026
That competitive drive has translated into a statistical resurgence in Chicago, where he has surged to 10.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game.
The former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist is now focused on converting this momentum into a long-term NBA home.
Regarding his future in Chicago or elsewhere, Yabusele told Aubin: “I hope I’ve done enough here, but I don’t know how the team thinks or what it’s really looking for. I’d really like to come back this summer. I’m going to keep pushing for that, and I’d also like to sign for several years so I can breathe a bit.”