NBA Fans Clown Evan Fournier Being Traded to Pistons from Knicks Following Comments | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Evan Fournier quickly discovered there might be worse fates than getting frozen out by the New York Knicks.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks are including Fournier in a trade package that lands them Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanović from the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks received good reviews from fans on social media:
Ben Stiller @BenStillerWow. Let's go.
Ben Stiller @BenStillerECF
Aidan LaPorta @AidanLaPorta69The knicks robbed them 😂
HotStreak Fantasy @JoinHotStreakKnicks are actually way better now
Jonathan Gosper @jonathangosperLeon Rose masterclass. Gave up nothing.
Meanwhile, plenty of social media users assumed Fournier's thrilled to be on a new team:
Nikola Vucevic @NikolaVucevicEvan Fournier right now <a href="">
Patches @senator_gunBurying the lede here -- Evan Fournier is finally free <a href="">
BetMGM 🦁 @BetMGMEvan Fournier right now <a href="">
DraftKings @DraftKingsEvan Fournier right now <a href="">
Others had some fun at his expense:
+*@🇭🇹 @checkingsacctEvery Knicks fan pulling up to MSG to make sure Evan Fournier is gone fr. <a href="">
Marc Colcer @marccolcerFournier gotta be so mad 🤣🤣🤣
Yuni⚯͛🔮 @DNetxyWE ARE FREE. NO MORE FOURNIER. <a href="">
Shaun On Playback @iHateShaunEVAN FOURNIER IS OFF MY BASKETBALL TEAM <a href="">
Zay✨ @ZAYYYTHEGOATWe got Bojan and Burks and didn't give up a 1st all while getting rid of Evan Fournier max contracts 😭😭😭😭 <a href=""> <a href="">
Michael G🇬🇷 @Michael_Grigs26Evan fournier really off my basketball team <a href="">
The 30-year-old experienced his worst season in the NBA in 2022-23. Not only did his performance dip relative to its usual levels, but he also fell out of the Knicks' rotation for long stretches.
"Best-case scenario, I want to stay here. I want to play here," he said of New York in January, per the New York Post's Zach Braziller. "I had a bunch of different choices in free agency, and I wanted to be a Knick. I love New York. I wanted to play for [Tom Thibodeau]. So I'd love to stay, but I'd love to play."
Not surprisingly, Fournier's tone shifted dramatically after he didn't step onto the floor for the entirety of the 2023 playoffs.
"There's no way they're going to keep me," he told reporters after the Knicks' season ended. "I would be very surprised if they did. So we'll see. It's obviously not in my hands."
In 27 appearances last season, Fournier averaged 6.1 points, shooting 33.7 percent overall and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Things have gotten worse since then.
He has suited up just three times in 2023-24. In September, he contended in an interview with French radio station RTL (via Braziller) that "I feel like I'm being held hostage."
Pound for pound, Fournier's four-year, $73 million contract isn't one of the NBA's worst, but it's one New York probably wished it could have back. That much became clear before his value totally cratered.
In 2021-22, the Frenchman averaged 14.1 points and 2.1 assists per game and shot 41.7 percent from the floor. Most worrisome, the Knicks had a minus-2.7 net rating with him on the court and a 2.0 net rating with him on the bench, per NBA.com.
On-off splits aren't the definitive indicator of a player's impact, but that kind of disparity isn't ideal for a player making more than $18 million annually.
With a change of scenery, maybe the 6'7" forward can enjoy a return to form. The upside of landing with the 7-43 Pistons is that he might finally get a chance to play. He's a career 37.9 percent shooter from the perimeter who has averaged 14.1 points per contest.
If Fournier's days as a solid secondary scorer are over, then his $19 million club option could come in handy down the line to make the money match up in a meaningful trade.
