76ers sign Trendon Watford to 2-year contract, Guerschon Yabusele return becomes unlikely

The 76ers have made their first move of this year’s free agency, signing former Nets power forward Trendon Watford to a 2-year $5.3 million deal, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

Watford spent his 2024-25 season mostly coming off the bench for the Nets, playing around 20 minutes a game. He averaged 10.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 46.9% from the field. The 6-foot-8, 237-pound forward is a career 52% shooter from the field and 34.9% from downtown.

Watford will be expected to play a large role in the 76ers’ rotation.

Watford’s skillset fits nicely with what the 76ers need at the moment. While he is a respectable scoring option, he makes his money on the defensive end. Watford is one of the best defenders left on the market and contrasts nicely with the scoring ability of Justin Edwards.

The signing of Watford does indicate that Guerschon Yabusele will most likely play for a different team next season. He has been linked to numerous teams throughout the offseason, most notably the Denver Nuggets.

Yabusele had an outstanding season for the 76ers, averaging 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 50.1% from the field. After being drafted by the Celtics in 2017, Yabusele played 2 seasons in Boston before taking his talents overseas to his home country of France. He gained international recognition for his play on the French national team during the Olympics. He averaged 14 points a game during the tournament, including 20- and 22-point games against Team USA and Team Canada.

If the 76ers are simply choosing to let Yabusele walk in free agency, they are making a mistake. He was one of the few bright spots on the 76ers’ season, being able to provide a spark off the bench or quality minutes as a starter. After years of trying, the 76ers finally hit big on a rotational role player in Yabusele. Unfortunately for the 76ers, it coincided with Joel Embiid‘s worst health season in almost a decade.

The modern NBA requires teams to have good depth off the bench in order to win championships. Look no further than this year’s NBA Finals. The deepest team in basketball in the Thunder against an extremely well-rounded Pacers squad, who had TJ McConnell as their X-Factor off the bench. On the opposite side of things, the 76ers are proof that no matter how much talent you have, you need a good bench. If the 76ers even had a league-average bench, they probably beat the Knicks in the playoffs last year.

All in all, Yabusele was an amazing find from Daryl Morey and the 76ers. Taking a flyer on the French forward was the best decision they made that offseason. Now, they see what Watford can give them.

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