Mavericks blow perfect opportunity to fill glaring hole in free agency
It’s no secret, the Dallas Mavericks have had one of the best offseasons in team history. Dallas started its slew of summer acquisitions by trading for youngster wing Quentin Grimes in a deal that saw the Mavericks finally depart from sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Mavericks quickly followed this move by signing and trading for future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson. Thompson will bring his four championships as luggage to Dallas and be one of the team’s leading scorers and 3-point shotmakers alongside superstars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
As the team prepares for what will hopefully be a long season to come, many fans expect the Mavericks front office to make one more move before next season tips off and Dallas may have missed out on the perfect player.
Mavericks miss out on perfect chance to sign Guerschon Yabusele
Guerschon Yabusele made a name for himself over this year’s Olympics, leading France to their second straight silver medal in Olympic play. Yabusele shined alongside NBA players like Evan Fournier and Victor Wembanyama and even received multiple MVP votes despite not winning gold for his country.
As a professional, Yabusele has become one of Europe’s best offensive rebounders, and it showed during his recent stint with France. Many fans were impressed by the Frenchman’s rebounding and defensive capabilities, so much so that he got a second shot at the NBA after signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the Mavericks’ roster is currently full, Yabusele would have made for a perfect addition barring Dallas cutting one of its 15 guaranteed players. It’s no secret the Mavericks are lacking depth at the power forward position and Yabusele would have rounded out Dallas’ bench.
The Mavericks sorely need a bigger body down low to match the strengths of some of the league’s best centers and Yabusele proved he could do that on the world’s biggest stage. In the Gold Metal match, Yabusele guarded the likes of superstars Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid and made the two look like fools on multiple possessions.
As currently constructed the Mavericks’ power forward depth consists of only Maxi Kleber who has had a rich injury history over the past few seasons. Yabusele, the former Real Madrid forward, wasn’t just one of Europe’s best rebounders but he’s also missed little time with injury throughout his career.
Yabusele’s second stint in the NBA should go better than his first after fizzling out of the league after just two seasons. While fans begged the front office to sign Yabusele after his great Olympic showing, the writing is on the wall for the Frenchman to have a great season in Philadelphia.