Knicks Trade of Guerschon Yabusele Aided by Major Contract Change

An adjustment to Guerschon Yabusele's contract helped facilitate his trade to the Chicago Bulls from the New York Knicks.

Oct 17, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) shoots the ball during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Heading into the NBA trade deadline, it was a matter of when, not if, the New York Knicks were going to trade Guerschon Yabusele.

His fate with the team had been sealed for weeks, given his struggles on the court. The only unknown was how much it would cost the Knicks in terms of attached assets to move off of his contract.

In a shocking turn of events, it didn’t cost New York anything. It was announced after their victory over the Denver Nuggets that Yabusele was being traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Dalen Terry.

That swap left everyone scratching their heads about why the Bulls would take on Yabusele’s contract without requiring any other assets. It turns out that this is because the veteran forward worked with the Knicks to amend his contract, making a trade easier to complete.

Guerschon Yabusele removed player option to help Knicks

Dec 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) warms up prior to the game against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

As shared by Ian Begley of SNY, Yabusele worked along with the team to make a change to the second year of his contract, which was a player option. Per Begley, that player's option has been removed, making it much easier to facilitate a deal.

Part of the motivation for the Frenchman was having the ability to play this season. Chicago provides him with that chance as minutes are readily available for him in their frontcourt. He will also have the opportunity to explore his options once again this summer.

There were reports that teams in Europe were looking into bringing him aboard if he could secure a buyout from his NBA contract. That would seemingly no longer be on the table because he can now showcase his talents in a situation that could benefit him more than it was with the Knicks.

While things didn’t work out for Yabusele in New York, fans will certainly appreciate everything he has done for the franchise. He took less money when he signed as a free agent to help keep the team below the hard cap.

If Guerschon Yabusele didn't work w/Knicks to amend contract & decline player option, it's safe to say trade w/Bulls doesn't happen. If trade w/CHI doesn't happen, it would have been more difficult for NYK to land Jose Alvarado. Yabusele really wanted to play this season. He gets… https://t.co/DC3yAtlBwH

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 5, 2026

Had he not worked with the Knicks to amend his contract, Begley shared that a deal with the Bulls likely wouldn’t have happened. If that deal doesn’t get done, acquiring point guard Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans would have been much more difficult.

The Brooklyn native was acquired in a separate deal in exchange for Terry and two second-round picks, addressing a hole in the backcourt and helping the team overcome the unexpected loss of Miles McBride, who is set to undergo surgery for a core muscle injury.

While the partnership between Yabusele and the Knicks didn’t work out, both parties have to be happy with the amicable parting of ways that both can benefit from in the long run.

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