Cavaliers Urged To Sign French Olympics Star, Former Celtics Forward

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been mentioned as a potential destination for former Boston Celtics forward Guerschon Yabusele.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Guerschon Yabusele (7) shoots against United States shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) and guard LeBron James (6) in the second half in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not signed a single free agent this offseason, but that could all be about to change.

It was recently reported that Cavaliers brass was preparing to sit down with head coach Kenny Atkinson once he returned from serving as an assistant coach for France in the Olympics. Evidently, Cleveland wants to discuss potentially adding more pieces, preferably ones Atkinson is familar with.

Atkinson has spent time with the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors, so the Cavs could ask him about players he coached during his tenure with those three squads.

They may also inquire about some of the players on the French Olympic team, such as big man Guerschon Yabusele, via Evan Dammarrell of ClutchPoints.

Yabusele put forth a tremendous performance in Paris, averaging 14 points per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. He played a major role in leading France to a silver medal and even threw down a poster on LeBron James during France's gold medal game against Team USA.

The 28-year-old has NBA experience. He was originally selected by the Boston Celtics with the 16th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.

However, Yabusele saw very limited NBA action, lasting just two years with the Celtics and playing in 74 games. During that time, he logged 2.3 points per game, making 44.2 percent of his shots.

That being said, thanks to his performance in Paris, Dammarrell reports that Yabusele is "back on NBA radars."

The Cavaliers would certainly make sense as an option for Yabusele given Atkinson's experience with the 6-foot-8 forward, and his ability to guard multiple positions may also be a major draw for a Cleveland squad that could use some defensive versatility.

Yabusele is currently playing for Real Madrid in Europe. Real Madrid would need to be paid $2.5 million in order to buy out his contract.

The catch is that NBA rules prevent teams from paying more than $850,000 to buy out a player from a current deal, meaning that Yabusele would have to pay the remainder.