Free Agent Explains Why He Signed With Knicks

The New York Knicks are making dreams come true after signing French forward Guerschon Yabusele to a one-year contract.

Yabusele, 29, returned to the NBA last season after a five-year absence while he improved his game in Europe.

Yabusele explained why he signed with the Knicks in a recent interview.

“When you look at New York, you can already see that the franchise has risen a lot in recent years,” Yabusele said via EuroBasket reporter Arthur Puybertier.

“They are conference finalists; the collective project is visible and very interesting for me. They are a very good team that plays very well together and is playing for the title! Having this goal was something important for me, I want to play for something."

"Apart from that, New York is a historic team. Playing at Madison Square Garden is the dream of every NBA player, including mine! It’s a special place, I’m very happy to be there!”

Yabusele was a first-round pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft but was stashed for a year before coming to the United States.

Once he got to the Celtics, they were viewed as a contender, so Yabusele seldom saw the floor. He often played for the Celtics G League affiliate in Maine. After falling out of the league, Yabusele played overseas in China and France before finding a solid home with Real Madrid, one of Europe's top teams.

Yabusele's improvements in Spain along with his strong showing at the Paris Olympics for the French national team allowed him to come back to the NBA, where he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, hoping to contend with a team that had Joel Embiid and Paul George.

In Philly, the wheels fell off quickly thanks to injuries and high expectations that the team couldn't meet. Therefore, Yabusele left to sign with New York, hoping to become part of a contender with the Knicks.