Former Celtics forward likely to sign with new team after career year

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5 hours ago

Guerschon Yabusele was one of the few bright spots for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. The former Celtics draft pick made his return to the NBA in the fall on a veteran's minimum deal after a successful stint in Europe that included a title with Real Madrid. Yabusele turned some heads during the Paris Olympics by helping lead France to the silver medal and the performance eventually earned him a shot in Philadelphia on a one-year deal.
Yabusele far outperformed his contract in his one year in Philadelphia, averaging 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Sixers while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. However, his play in Philadelphia is expected to earn him a rich new deal in free agency this summer except that it likely won't come from the 76ers.
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NBA insider Jake Fischer points out in his latest piece on Substack that it is become 'increasingly challenging' for the Sixers to retain Yabusele this offseason due to their salary situation. Yabusele is clearly going to get a raise from his veteran's minimum contract but the Sixers only have non-Bird rights on the big man, meaning they can offer him just 120 percent of his previous deal (about $2.3 million) unless they use a mid-level exception to keep him.
However, it's a real possibility that the Sixers won't have access to that spending power with their current roster. The team already has $145 million tied up in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Several other role players (Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon) are all expected to opt into their deals for next season.
Restricted free agent Quentin Grimes is also due a new contract that should start around anywhere from $10-15 million annually. Throw in the No. 3 overall pick's cap hit and the Sixers will be flirting close to the second apron. Using a taxpayer mid-level exception would hard cap the Sixers at the second apron ($207 million) and there may not be enough room for the Sixers to stay under that number while retaining Grimes on his new deal as well.
That reality makes Yabusele a potential prize for others on the free agent market. The Celtics won't have the ability to sign him with their own mid-level exception without making some serious roster cuts but several teams should be in the market for a stretch big like Yabusele. Yabusele should fetch at least the taxpayer mid-level ($5.7 million) annually but his next contract could be even higher for a portion of the non-taxpayer midlevel ($14 million).
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Either way, Yabusele likely won't be seeing as much of the Celtics in his new destination but should get a well-earned NBA payday after proving he belongs in the league following a five-year hiatus.
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Read the original article on MassLive.