Getty Images | Dustin Satloff
KEY POINTS
- Evan Fournier thinks he will be traded soon by the Knicks
- The Knicks may find it difficult to get a good player in exchange for Fournier
- Fans vented out their frustrations against Julius Randle after the Knicks’ exit from NBA playoffs
Evan Fournier has been in the NBA long enough to know what is coming to him, and as early as now, the French player is aware that his time with the New York Knicks is likely over.
After spending two seasons in New York, the 30-year-old swingman told reporters that he would be surprised if he would be back next NBA season wearing a Knicks uniform, the New York Daily News reported.
“You know I’m not gonna be back,” he stated. “There’s no way they’re gonna keep me. I would be very surprised if they do. So, we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands though.”
Fournier, who holds career averages of 14 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists, played in only 27 games for the 2022-23 season. He started in seven games but eventually fell out of favor with head coach Tom Thibodeau.
The demotion to being a bench player weighed heavily on the NBA veteran, who admitting that being benched was hard to swallow.
“How hard is it? It’s not easy. I’ll tell you that,” the cager said to reporters last November, the New York Post reported.
When the season of the Knicks came to a close following a 2-4 Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Miami Heat, Fournier averaged a measly 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Fournier still has a year remaining in his $18.9 million deal, the final year of his guaranteed $73.7 million deal that he signed back in 2021.
That amount and the fact he is coming off a disappointing season may make it hard for the Knicks to find a suitable trade partner. New York may find it difficult to get a high-caliber exchange for the French player, although it would rid their books of his salary.
The Knicks also need to make decisions in the offseason. Their fans are pretty upset, as seen in videos circulating on social media.
Some fans were captured defacing and stomping on the poster of Julius Randle outside Madison Square Garden.
In a video posted on Twitter by @TheColtonShow_, the incident happened as fans were leaving MSG’s watch party for Game 6.
Randle had a subpar outing, finishing with only 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists—an effort that was apparently not enough for irate Knicks supporters.
Getty Images | Julio Aguilar
