French Olympic Star Seeks NBA Return; Should Mavs Consider Signing?

In the NBA, there are many different paths players take to success. Some players experience it right off the bat, like Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II, who was an integral part of his team making it to the NBA Finals last season. Others, like Mavs reserve guard and former lottery pick Dante Exum, take time to become more seasoned overseas before figuring out their place in the league.

Guerschon Yabusele, who was the 16th pick for the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft, is hoping to have a second chance in the league like Exum did last season. After spending just two years with the Celtics, Yabusele has been playing overseas for the past five years, and his production in the 2024 Paris Olympics indicates that he might now be ready to be a serviceable NBA player.

In six Olympic games for France, Yabusele, who is affectionately known as "the dancing bear" to his countrymen, averaged 14 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor.

In the Gold Medal Game against Team USA, he scored 20 points on 6-14 shooting overall and 7-10 from the free throw line. He also had an emphatic poster dunk over LeBron James that went viral on social media.

Although the 28-year-old forward might be an attractive flyer for an NBA team to take, our friend and NBA insider Marc Stein provided some details on why that might be easier said than done.

"League sources tell @TheSteinLine that France star Guerschon Yabusele has one season left on his Real Madrid contract — with an NBA buyout of $2.5 million," Stein posted on X. "The buyout was just $1 million had Yabusele been pursued by an NBA team before July 15."

Related: Nuggets' Jokic Joins Mavs' Luka and Lakers' LeBron on Historic Olympics List

Yabusele also posted on X, saying he's "ready" for a second chance to play in the NBA. Naturally, many Mavs fans speculated on whether or not Dallas should entertain bringing him to training camp. However, it would likely take a guaranteed deal to get Yabusele to leave Europe, and the Mavs have enough depth to where it wouldn't make sense to offer him anything more than a training camp invitation.