Evan Fournier, who said in May that he didn’t expect to be back with the Knicks in 2023/24, has remained with the team through the draft and free agency. However, in an interview with Yann Ohnona of French outlet L’Equipe (subscription required), Fournier suggested he’d still be “very surprised” to open next season with the Knicks.
Given that he’s on a sizable expiring contract, Fournier would be a useful salary-matching piece in any major trade, so the Knicks will presumably be reluctant to simply cut him if no such deal materializes before the season begins. However, the 30-year-old – who started the first seven games of last season and then appeared in just 20 the rest of the way – certainly doesn’t sound like a player who’s excited about the idea of staying in New York.
Fournier’s comments to L’Equipe, as translated and relayed by BasketNews.com and Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, are candid and honest. The veteran swingman spoke about the experience of being benched last season, his relationship – or lack thereof – with head coach Tom Thibodeau, and what might be next for him.
Here are a few of the highlights:
On how he reacted to being pulled from the Knicks’ rotation last season:
“You want to spit on everyone. You have hatred. Derrick Rose (who was also benched) and I looked at each other and said to each other: ‘What the hell are we doing here?’ During the five-on-five practices, we were on the side like some prospects. Uncool times. And when I realized that wouldn’t change, I took things more slowly. I focused on myself and didn’t let the rest get to me anymore.”
On his rapport with Thibodeau:
“I have nothing to say because I have none. When he took me out of the (starting lineup), he just told me he was going to try something else. Then before the first game of a road trip, he announced to me that I was leaving the rotation, and ciao.”
On his current trade value:
“If you want to trade me for a good return, why didn’t you use me? I was coming off a season where I was the fourth-best 3-point shooter in the league (in total makes). Why not take advantage of it? Now they won’t get anything interesting and that’s normal because I couldn’t show anything (on the court).”
On what sort of effect staying with the Knicks would have on his career:
“If I stayed, it would be a disaster, sportingly, for my career, everything. A year without playing, I can manage. Two… that would be terrible.”
On whether he’d be interested in teaming up with fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio:
“I want a spot where I can have fun again, where I can be myself. Would their game be more suited to me? It’s not the Spurs of 2014 anymore but playing for (Gregg Popovich), learning from him, it would be a pleasure and an honor, for sure. … Being with Victor, looking at the (2024) Olympics, being able to start connecting on the court, that would be great.”
I wonder when he’ll realize there was a reason he (and Rose) got benched
There was a reason but it wasn’t a good one. After being the Knicks best 3 point shooter Fournier started the following year in a shooting slump. Most coaches would design some plays to match the guy’s strengths to get him out of the slump. Thibodeau just benched him and wasted the money on his contract. I get that Thibodeau wanted to play Barrett and Grimes. That said both guys were tradeable before being removed from the rotation entirely. Several teams would have traded a 2nd round pick or a player the Knicks could have used for Fournier. I’m pretty sure the Cavaliers would have sent a draft pick and a rotation piece just to have someone to plug in at the 3 spot. Now he’s only useful if you have to match salary in a trade.
“There was a reason but it wasn’t a good one.”
The fact that he plays absolutely no defense is a great reason why he was benched. Especially when Thibs values defensive effort. Honestly the deal has been a bad fit from the start. On the one hand, it made sense because the Knicks need efficient outside shooting. But on the other hand, the guy does not fit their style of play because he’s not a three and D guy.
You can maybe excuse the lack of defense if he’s hitting his shots, but as soon as he stopped doing that he became expendable.
@cuffs – you need to watch his games. He’s not bad, he’s horrendous. Zero defense. Turnover after turnover. Can’t catch a pass. Zero hustle on transition going either way.
Fact is he feels he’s entitled. He’s not. I’m not a Thibs fan, but benching Fournier wasn’t only the logical decision, but one I’m sure his teammates appreciated as well. I thought Hardaway was a bad signing. And there is no one in their right mind that will offer a draft pick or player straight up for him. The Knicks would need to move a #1, possibly two of them to dump his salary.
Derrick Rose responded by being the best mentor on the team. Rose also declined to be traded at the trade deadline because he didn’t want to take his son out of the school he was enrolled in.
No sympathy for Fournier. Getting paid $20 million a year to not play is a problem 99.99% of the world would like to have.
The Idea of Derrick Rose being a mentor is laughable. Every year you never know if Rose will decide to play or take 2 months off for his mental health. If he was sane he’d be finishing a Hall of Fame career instead of hope he’s in the mood to play when he gets an opportunity. He may have good reasons for his mental health problems. Thing is if a team depends on him they need him regardless of how he feels.
“The Idea of Derrick Rose being a mentor is laughable.”
But he was a mentor. Very Barry is right. Ask IQ or McBride.
I have known Derrick Rose since he was a kid. I’ve done business with his brother Reggie. Derrick Rose is just a flat out good human being. He was always a basketball superstar even in Middle School. He ALWAYS avoided the spotlight in every situation. His brother took the lead in his college recruiting because Derrick legitimately had NO interest in ANY part of the process. None. He just wanted to hang out with his girlfriend and play basketball. That’s it! Derrick Rose is quiet and shy. He sticks to his very small inner circle, and keeps it moving. You see no pictures of Derrick Rose ever popping bottles at the club.
Injuries are the only thing that ever kept Derrick Rose off the floor.
Rose will be a great mentor to Ja in Memphis. He happily mentored the guys who took his job on the Knicks. He did everything he could to help them get better and cement their roles.
Derrick Rose is truly a kind and generous human being. He keeps to himself and has no interest in what anybody else is doing. A true class act.
The high school girlfriend that Derrick Rose dated had a twin sister who was dating Marcus Jordan. Yes, the same Marcus Jordan that is dating Larsa Pippen. One twin sister had a baby with O.J. Mayo. The other twin has a child with Jae Crowder.
In high school, the only thing Derrick was interested in was hanging out with his girlfriend, and playing basketball. Nothing else!
The Knicks gain nothing by keeping him as a trade chip because he in the class of players that no one will take with that salary, but woukd jump in a second if he/they came free.
The Knicks are spiteing themselves for no good reason. It’s time to stretch and waive Evan and let him move on.
The $20 million per year he makes could be a valuable salary filling trade chip if the right player becomes available ahead of the trade deadline.
Nobody in the NBA, unless they are going through a brutal round of injuries, is going to give Fournier any real minutes. Rebuilding teams will play and develop younger players. Is their anybody on the Pistons or Rockets that you want to give up minutes for to play Evan Fournier?? No contenders need what he has to offer now either.
Most people in this world would be out of a job, and out of a check. All he has to do is show up and get dressed 82 times, and then recline in his front row seat to all of the Knicks games at home and on the road. He gets paid $20 million to do this. He gets all of his money during the basketball season. He gets paid monthly during the season. His check each month for not playing during the season comes to nearly $4 million.
Do you know how the salary cap works…? I’ll wait.
It’s an expiring contract. You can swap out those fat dollars, and combine it with other contracts, and picks, and swaps, for fat dollars you actually want.
Knicks are doing exactly what they are supposed to do.
Thibs has his “guys”. That’s who he plays. The guys who play, seem to like his style. Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah in Chicago went to war with Thibs.
@very – yeah, my post was for Juice. Waiving him doesn’t do anything but stick us with dead money on the books. Moving him, if lucky, is a trade off worth investigating.
You must be new to this. Expiring contract. Find out what that does for you. Instead of acting like you know something. ALL you clowns here should just stop exposing yourselves. Like you know or care anything about the Knicks.
Well he better be prepared to be surprised or be ready to talk buyout ! Nobody cares that he’s on an expiring contract! A expiring contract is only as valuable as the picks and or young players attached to it !
I mean, they wouldn’t be looking to trade him. They’d be attaching him to a deal they made as a means to comply with cap rules. Donkey farts aren’t tradeable, otherwise they might be able to get two of those for him. His only value is as the cap match piece in a trade.
CP3 for Fournier is a match haha
I don’t hate that trade for either team
And Knicks fans think he has value as part of a bigger trade, they’ll have to add something to him to dump him on another team and even then it’s not a given. Most likely will be waived.
What’s the value of waiving him?
Nuggets on a buy out
The Cav’s would take him in a split second. He was a better shooter and scorer than Strus. He’s only 30.
Strus is by far a better defender. Fournier thinks in season games are half court only.
The Cav’s would take him in a split second. He was a better shooter and scorer than Strus. He’s only 30.
Yeah, there was a great trade market for Fournier last year, the NYK just didn’t take advantage of it. They deliberately wanted to ruin his career, even if it meant hurting their payroll.
If Fournier wants to go home and sit on the couch, I’d let him. But no way would I release him as long as his expiring contract is potentially valuable in a trade. Team got nothing else out of his signing, maybe the expiring contract can serve a purpose in a trade. He’ll get his buyout after the deadline if it can’t be used. Just like every other guy with a bad contract.
Of course, he could always do what Kemba did with OKC or Blake Griffin did with DET, and offer to give back real money in a buyout for his release. If he’s legitimately being under utilized here, that would seem like a no-brainer.
He could certainly be a salary-matching piece.
As a third team in a Damian Lillard trade to take on Tyler Herro for example.
Sending out Fournier+Quickly would match salaries.
Yes, that’s Fournier’s only value to the NYK (and he can serve that purpose on his couch). If we were to trade IQ, in particular, with his salary of only 4 mm, it would that make having an expiring deal around valuable.
Fournier is starting to make some noise and being kinda toxic with the group. I think our FO will not stand this for long and will trade/buyout him in the next few weeks. Like you, i would rather send him home and keep his salary as filler for future trades, but imo Knicks won’t do this
First off Fournier is a solid offensive player.
That’s why he got that contract. It was market value. Knicks didn’t make it up geniuses ……
The reason he’s not playing. Is he took on Thibs. Thibs wants maximum effort on D. If you are not very good at it. He wants maximum effort. Cause he can make you better. Do any of you understand that. Or do you need me to translate to no-baller typo.
Fournier bumped heads with Thibs and he lost. It’s that simple …….
Listen I was the guy here calling to sign him before he became a FA in Orlando. So learn instead of spouting hate ……
Knicks have been in the market for an upgrade for all of last year. It’s called getting better and acquiring better talent ……
Hart, Hartenstein, Donte, Jalen …… learning yet ????!
Fournier even on the outs. Is a valuable salary match in a trade for an upgrade. Plus he still got talent. Many teams know it. They just want him at .25 cents on the $.
Not happening. We got plenty of young talent and picks. That we can attach to his salary. To complete an upgrade trade. Cause of an expiring contract …… it’s not that hard. If you really want to know. Instead of just shooting your mouth.
Rose is loved by Thibs. The guy has rested and collected 15 mill. He’s ready to give good mins these next two years. As A Backup …. Thibs owes the world to Rose. So Fournier is just using Rose to get back at Thibs. Rose is healthy and grateful. He helped shape Quickly, Grimes, McBride. Trust me NY knows who Rose is. We love him and wish him the best. You will see how sitting has helped him in Memphis. So stop making up nonsense. Get some real Sense and chillTFO ……..
Hey genius, if he’s all that, then why aren’t teams beating down the door to take advantage of the Knicks and swipe him off their hands since they’re willing participants to trading him?
I’ll wait…
For as long as you’ve been here. You are still clueless. I used to think it was just hate. But now I know it’s just lack of understanding. If you want to really criticize. The Knicks or even me. All the information is out there for you. Anyone who understands ball. Or wants a real answer or opinion on the matter. Just search and read.
I know this must be news to you. But I don’t run the Knicks. I wish I did. I could use the money.
The whole NBA knows who Fournier is. You DAI ….. you think he got lucky and put up 20 for yrs. You can’t be this inept. Just cause Thibs canceled his asr. Doesn’t mean his career is over. Why do you even care about this. Even as just (JUST) an expiring contract he has value. Go away and beat your dog. Maybe he can bark it to you …. Why would anyone want him now. He’ll be a FA soon and cheaper. And this is not about him playing you nutlock. He’s been gone since he sat. Trading him is all about timing. I can’t see him on team this yr. Must I explain to you what an expiring contract means …….
You see if Grimes and Quickley get moved. Both have Rookie scale contracts. So you add Fournier and picks. And now you have a trade for 30-34 mill player. Get a calculator ok. And stop posting about this team. You have nothing to say. Even if you hate NY or the Knicks. What does any of that have to do with trading for value ….. get help lol ….
Fournier will not be with the team this year. So he doesn’t have to worry about that. Knicks will make a trade and his salary is what will make it work.
DeM DeR ………
Boy, I was excited when the Celts got Fournier late in the season a couple years back but he immediately caught covid and couldn’t play. Then he got the big contract from NY. Ten years in a row scoring double figures and a very good three point shooter. Even on the Knicks he killed us. Then he got benched early the next season in NY and barely played again. At 30 years old, I hope he gets another shot.