The New York Knicks signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele over the offseason in what were expected to be two moves to bolster their championship hopes after an Eastern Conference Finals exit in 2025, and while neither has played up to their peak, the latter was most recently moved at the trade deadline.
The Knicks traded Yabusele to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Dalen Terry, a former first-round pick who never got much run in The Windy City.
After the trade, Yabusele’s offseason signee partner in Clarkson took to Threads to comment on the trade.
“get to it Yabu happy for you bro keep hooping man,” the 12th-year guard wrote.
On the season, Yabusele was averaging just 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per night in 41 games. In his first appearance for Chicago, he finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Knicks Players React To Trade Deadline Deals
Clarkson’s comments on the Yabusele trade were just one of the Knicks’ players’ reactions to their deadline deals, which also included the team adding Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans.
Regarding the French big man, Mohamed Diawara wrote ‘Yeaaaa yabuuuuu!!!!‘ in a post on X after his standout first game for the Bulls. Pacome Dadiet, who was expected to be moved along with Yabusele at the deadline, but ended up staying in New York, posted a picture on Instagram of the two together.
While Yabusele was under contract with the Knicks for another year, he reworked his deal with the team so he was able to be traded.
“Guerschon Yabusele worked with Knicks to amend 2nd year of his contract, removing the player option in order facilitate trade with Chicago, per league sources,” Ian Begley wrote in a post on X. “Trade gives him opportunity to compete and play this season in CHI and evaluate his options this summer.”
As for Alvarado, Josh Hart was the big name New York player who reacted to the news of the Knicks trading Terry again back to New Orleans, along with two second-round picks for Alvarado.
“JOSEEEEEEE,” Hart wrote in a post on X, reacting to the news of Alvrado returning to the city in which he grew up.
The point guard himself posted a picture of him with the Pelicans’ staff with the caption ‘Love Nola‘ in response to him being moved.
The Knicks were both rumored to be interested in trading Yabusele and making a deal for Alvarado, so at the deadline, it appears New York got what they wanted to make a playoff push.
Can New-Look Knicks Compete For A Title?
While the Knicks were rumored to be shopping Karl-Anthony Towns in a move that likely would have seen them target Giannis Antetokounmpo, that never came to fruition.
Instead, they kept their core of Jalen Brunson, Hart, Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson together, while making a few slight changes around the margins to fix some of the issues that became clear after their struggles post-NBA Cup.
But now, the Knicks have their roster set for the rest of the season, and while they still could target a buyout candidate before the playoffs, this is the core that they will compete for their first title in more than 50 years with.
Writing for The Athletic, James L. Edwards discussed the chances of this New York squad winning four straight playoff rounds.
“The Knicks, from top to bottom, feel like a well-oiled machine now,” he wrote. “From here on out, it’s just about basketball. Players no longer have to worry about potentially uprooting their lives. There’s no more fear about being in an Antetokounmpo trade. Certain guys can now exhale…Many people thought this Knicks team could be special. New York has started to prove those people right.”
New York has now won eight games in a row after going 2-9 earlier in January. Their issues seem to be fixed after Brunson held a ‘players only‘ meeting, and everyone looks to be on the same page on how to finish out the regular season.
The injury and subsequent surgery for Miles McBride will be a tough pill to swallow for the Knicks, but now they have Alvarado and a strong foundation with playoff experience together.
Knicks Players React To Yabusele Trade, Alvarado Deadline Shakeup