Former Celtic Eyeing NBA Return After Strong Olympic Performance

The Summer Olympics are over as Team USA capped off the Paris Games with a massive 98-87 victory over France in the men's basketball gold medal game. While a lot of attention is on the Americans for winning gold in the fifth consecutive Olympic tournament, one member of the silver medal team is garnering some attention.

In fact, it's one player who Boston Celtics fans are more than familiar with.

Celtics News: Guerschon Yabusele Eyeing NBA Return

One day after France's loss to Team USA, ex-Celtics forward Guerschon Yabusele took to social media to reveal that he's "been waiting for a 2nd chance," likely referring to a potential NBA return. The 28-year-old veteran was drafted 16th overall by Boston in 2016 before going on to play 74 games across two seasons.

Although Yabusele is still under contract for one more season with Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB, he still has a shot at playing in America next year. NBA insider Marc Stein reports that the silver medalist's contract includes a $2.5 million buyout, which previously sat at $1 million before the Summer Olympics began.

It isn't hard to see why an NBA time might be willing to use a depth spot on Yabusele. He was one of France's best players throughout the tournament as he averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.5 steals while shooting 51.9% from the floor and 28.6% from deep across six games. He also finished second on his team with 20 points in Saturday's gold medal showdown.

Despite being a former first-round selection, Yabusele struggled to live up to his potential during his time with the Celtics. He barely made an impact as he played just 6.6 minutes across 74 games (5 starts), averaging 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists with .442/.323/.682 shooting splits.

The Frenchman's lackluster production forced the Celtics to waive him following the 2018-19 season. He's since played professional basketball in China, France, and, most recently, Spain, racking up a list of accolades that includes two Liga ACB titles and one EuroLeague championship.

It'll be interesting to see if the Celtics have any interest in their former player. Star big man Kristaps Porzingis could be sidelined until December with a tendon injury and adding an experienced forward like Yabusele could help until the former is ready to return to the lineup.

General manager Brad Stevens was also the head coach while Yabusele was in town, which could also help sway the latter into re-joining the defending champions.

But even if they don't bring Yabusele back to Beantown, the future is bright for the C's. The Celtics head into the remainder of August as FanDuel Sportsbook's clear-cut +300 favorite to win the 2024-25 NBA Finals.

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