"NOT WHAT I EXPECTED" — GUERSCHON YABUSELE’S HONEST ADMISSION ABOUT HIS FAILED NEW YORK STINT
Guerschon Yabusele admits his New York Knicks season is a disappointment as trade talks with the San Antonio Spurs lose momentum.
Guerschon Yabusele, wearing #28 for the New York Knicks, found himself matched up against Sion James of the Charlotte Hornets in the first half at Madison Square Garden. But off the court, things aren’t quite so straightforward for Yabusele or the Knicks.
New York’s been trying to trade the veteran forward, but it hasn’t gone smoothly. The San Antonio Spurs, once thought to be interested, started backing away as the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline got closer.
According to Brett Siegel at ClutchPoints, talks between the Knicks and Spurs have basically stalled. San Antonio is rethinking things — especially when it comes to giving up young forward Jeremy Sochan, who the Knicks wanted in a potential deal.
The Knicks took a shot at landing Sochan, who was the ninth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and is wrapping up his rookie contract. He’s set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Siegel pointed out that Sochan’s defence and ability to attack the basket would mesh well with New York’s style, but people inside the Spurs aren’t on board with trading him.
Even though Sochan’s role with the Spurs has been up and down, San Antonio still likes his potential and hasn’t shown any real willingness to move him. That means Yabusele, who once seemed like a perfect fit for the Spurs — partly because of his connection with Victor Wembanyama — is no longer a priority.
The Spurs are still looking to strengthen their frontcourt behind Wembanyama, but Siegel reports they’re now looking at other options, including possibly using Kelly Olynyk’s expiring $13.4 million contract as a trade chip.
Early on, a lot of people thought that Yabusele’s experience playing with Wembanyama on France’s national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics might push San Antonio to bring him in. Yabusele played well there, helping France win a silver medal and putting himself back on the NBA radar. But that Olympic connection just isn’t enough to sway the Spurs, especially since they don’t want to mess with their young core or send Sochan packing.
As talks started to fizzle late last week, some around the league wondered if the Spurs were closing in on a different deal entirely—one that would take them out of the Yabusele sweepstakes for good.
Yabusele, meanwhile, seems to know where things stand. He told The New York Post’s Jared Schwartz that his first year in New York has been a letdown. “It’s definitely not what I was expecting coming into the season,” he admitted before Saturday’s win over the Sixers. “I thought it would be a little more different.”
Last year, he was a regular part of the Sixers’ rotation. This season, he’s barely seeing the floor for the Knicks — averaging just 9.2 minutes in 38 games, and he went scoreless in three minutes against his old team on Saturday.
Social media hasn’t exactly calmed the rumours. Yabusele recently shared—then deleted—a tweet from a French account that said, “A trade and a good situation for the captain [of the French national team], that’s all we’re asking.” It fuelled speculation that a move could be on the way.
He’s kept his comments pretty measured, though. “It’s nothing that I can control,” Yabusele said. “Just try to be smart, prepare, and be as ready as I can. When my name is called, give everything on the court.”
He also posted, and quickly deleted, a cryptic message: “Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m extremely blessed to be in the position that I am today. Minor setback for a major comeback — that’s my favourite.” Some took it as a sign that a trade was about to happen, but so far, nothing has come together.
With San Antonio cooling off, the Knicks are still working the phones, looking for ways to shake up their roster and add some balance up front—all while trying to stay under the NBA’s tough salary cap limits. They’ve reportedly had talks with the Pelicans and a few other teams, but time is running out, and the options are thinning. For now, Yabusele’s future is still up in the air.
THE DROP CRISIS: INSIDE JERRY JEUDY’S SHOCKING 18.8% DROP RATE DURING THE 2025 SEASON
Is Jerry Jeudy the problem? Analyse the Browns' 2026 offseason strategy, Shedeur Sanders’ future, and new coaching changes.
The Browns kick off their real offseason work next week at the draft combine. That’s when they dive into figuring out who’s actually out there on the free-agent and trade markets and what it’ll take to land some real upgrades.
Fixing the offence sits at the top of the to-do list. And sure, that starts with making a call at quarterback because it’s always about the quarterback in Cleveland. But honestly, the problems run deeper than just who lines up under centre. Shedeur Sanders, the guy with the job last year, probably got a raw deal. He played behind an offensive line held together with duct tape, lost his star running back Quinshon Judkins to a season-ending injury, and threw to receivers who were either too green or just didn’t seem to care.
Jerry Jeudy stands out among that last group. The Browns brought him in from Denver, paid him a fat three-year, $52.5 million contract, and watched him put up 1,229 yards in 2024. Then, in 2025, his game just collapsed. The effort and discipline disappeared.
The Browns can’t just cut Jeudy loose right now, so the hope is they can straighten him out and get him back to what he was; even a little closer to that would go a long way, no matter who wins the quarterback job.
That job fixing Jeudy falls to the new wide receivers coach, Christian Jones. Dan Labbe at Cleveland.com pointed out that Jeudy’s 12 drops and that ugly 18.8% drop rate last year don’t match up with the rest of his career. Maybe 2024 was the real Jeudy, and 2025 was just a bad year. Either way, Jones has to figure out what went wrong and fix it.
Jones isn’t new to the Browns. He started as the tight ends coach last year, then Todd Monken moved him over to receivers, a rare move, considering most of the offensive staff turned over. Jones worked with the Giants as a quarterbacks coach for the last couple of years, and before that, he helped coach receivers in Minnesota. He knows what it looks like when guys like Justin Jefferson or Adam Thielen are locked in.
The Browns don’t need another Jefferson, though adding some new blood at receiver is almost a sure thing in this draft. They’ve got young guys, Isaiah Bond, Malachi Corley, and Gauge Larvadain, brought in last year, and Jones will have to get them ready. Still, it starts at the top. They need Jeudy to show up, play hard, and set the tone. If he doesn’t, none of the other moves will matter much.
THE JETS CONNECTION: INSIDE THE AARON GLENN PLAN TO POACH ALEX ANZALONE FOR NEW YORK
Alex Anzalone is frustrated with Detroit! Analyse his social media spat and the Jets' plan to poach the veteran linebacker.
The Detroit Lions just watched two big pieces of their defence, Alex Anzalone and DJ Reader, hit free agency. Their contracts were officially voided this week, and now the team’s dealing with a bigger cap headache.
It’s not just a little setback, either. SI.com’s John Maakaron pointed out that the voided deals for Anzalone and Reader tack on another $4.9 million in dead cap for 2026. Altogether, the Lions are staring down $9.2 million in dead money for this upcoming season. That’s a tough pill to swallow, and it definitely makes the team’s decisions about both players a lot more complicated.
Even with the cap hit already locked in, the Lions could still try to bring Anzalone and Reader back. Starting March 9, during the legal tampering period, both guys can sit down with GM Brad Holmes and talk about new deals, assuming everyone’s interested.
But honestly, it’s starting to look like Alex Anzalone’s time in Detroit might be over. Greg Auman at Fox Sports thinks he’ll follow former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets. Anzalone’s been a staple in the middle of Detroit’s defence for five years, usually racking up around 14 starts and 98 tackles a season, and he’s done it for a pretty reasonable $6 million a year. But if Glenn really wants his old guys, and the Jets are calling, that might be all she wrote for Anzalone in Detroit.
There’s more. Zack Rosenblatt from The Athletic said on “Jets Final Drive” that the Jets are “actively” looking for players who already get Aaron Glenn’s style, guys like Anzalone and cornerback Amik Robertson. So that’s another sign the Jets are circling.
And things got even messier this week when Anzalone got into it with the Lions’ social media team. SI.com’s Christian Booher said Anzalone called out the team for leaving out his career-high nine pass breakups in a Valentine’s Day video that highlighted defensive plays, but none of his made the cut. He even pointed out that other free agents got featured, while he didn’t. He posted about it, then ended up deleting the comment, but you get the sense he wasn’t thrilled.
All signs are pointing to some big changes for Detroit’s defence and possibly a new home for Anzalone.