Guerschon Yabusele was one of the stories of the Olympics, helping hosts France to the Gold Medal game before they ran into a barrage of late three-pointers from Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry on Saturday.
The Olympics was the perfect stage for those outside the NBA to audition for a spot in the league, and no one created more buzz than Yabusele who is currently contracted with Real Madrid.
The 28-year-old has an NBA buyout of $2.5 million according to insider Marc Stein, with Yabusele seemingly eager for another opportunity after averaging 14 points and 3.3 rebounds on 51.9% shooting from the floor across six Olympic performances.
Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. Iām ready š¤š§ø
ā Guerschon Yabusele (@yabusele28) August 11, 2024
The Golden State Warriors aren't in position to provide Guerschon Yabusele with a second NBA chance after a standout Olympic campaign
Yabusele was initially a 16th overall pick of the Boston Celtics in 2016, yet would only appear in 74 games across two years with the franchise where he averaged just 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.
Now a more mature player and ready to seize a second opportunity, various NBA teams could be interested in the 6'8" power forward who went viral for his dunk over LeBron James during Saturday's Final.
The Warriors are one team who probably won't be able to accomodate Yabusele's dream of an NBA return though, even if they did have some interest in the 2023 EuroLeague champion. With 14 contracted players and right up against their hard-capped position of the first tax apron, Golden State aren't in a position to sign anyone let alone Yabusele.
The Warriors are still yet to sign 52nd overall pick Quinten Post to a two-way or standard contract, partly because they can't give the Dutch center a main roster spot without first making another transaction.
Golden State could waive the non-guaranteed deals of Lindy Waters III or Gui Santos, but it's more likely that additional roster spots and flexibility come via trade even after missing out on Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.
Yabusele could be an option if that takes place, yet one would think Post may be the priority in that scenario. Yabusele has improved his three-point shooting but shot less than 30% at the Olympics, with the Warriors already possessing a trio of key power forward options in Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Kyle Anderson.
Fans will be hoping Yabusele does get another opportunity to revive his NBA career, but don't hold your breath in thinking the Warriors will be the team that makes it happen.