What Guerschon Yabusele said about trade rumors linking him to possible Celtics return
Yabusele, a former Celtics first-round pick, answered questions about a potential Boston reunion.
After a pair of seasons with the Celtics years ago and a lengthy stint out of the league, Guerschon Yabusele has revived his NBA career with the rival Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics, who are in the luxury tax’s second apron, don’t have much wiggle room as far as what they can do to add talent before Thursday’s trade deadline.
But, they could use another forward if the asking price isn’t too high. Yabusele is a familiar face who worked hard to earn second chance in the NBA after years of playing overseas, and he’s averaging a career-high 11 points off the bench for Philadelphia. This is his first year in the NBA since the Celtics waived him in 2019.
He’s on a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Sixers, which would make him an affordable option for the Celtics. Boston, along with several other teams, has reportedly expressed interest in the French forward, who was asked about the rumors earlier this week.
“Well, I feel like with what happened [Saturday] night, everybody is in a place where you can be moved,” Yabusele said. “So I’m not trying to think too much about it. Just trying to come out here, do my job, do the best I can and help the team … I would say I’m more worried about this than getting traded. If it does happen then I would be in whatever situation I’ve got to be in, so I don’t want to get my head into this a little bit too much.”
“I’m just trying to think about playing right now. I’m still a Sixers player and I hope to stay a Sixers player and we’ll go from there.”
When asked specifically about the Celtics’ reported interest in trading for him, Yabusele said:
“Well, if something like that happens then we’ll talk about it when it happens. But as far as right now, I’m trying to worry about our team We got our thing going on, we got ups and downs, but I feel like in the last couple of games, we’ve been showing a lot of great things.”
The Sixers are 5-5 over their last 10 games and nearly beat the Celtics before collapsing Sunday night. Philadelphia held a 26-point lead over Boston at one point, but were outscored 38-16 in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia has been active in the days leading up to the trade deadline, dealing sharpshooter Caleb Martin to the Mavericks in exchange for Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick on Tuesday.
The Sixers, who have been without center Joel Embiid for the majority of the season, are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They could stand pat at the trade deadline and try to make run at the play-in tournament. They are also in a position to make a move if they want to.
Odds are that the Celtics will have a quiet trade deadline. It remains to be seen whether Yabusele will be a part of it.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com