The New York Knicks have had a disgruntled Evan Fournier on their team for the last two seasons, as Fournier fell out of the rotation after one season with the franchise. Despite demanding trades, the Knicks failed to move Fournier multiple times before finally sending him to the Detroit Pistons to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
Fournier was overjoyed to finally be out of New York, revealing that to reporters in Detroit.
"I am really excited to finally be out of New York, so looking forward to a new opportunity."
Fournier also had quick comments on the young Pistons squad he's going to be joining.
"From watching those last games and a couple of practices, it's a high-energy team with a lot of enthusiasm. Hard-playing team. So far, so good."
The bigger question for Fournier is if he'll get an opportunity to play for the Pistons through the end of the season. While the Pistons have pursued him for the last few seasons, Fournier made it clear that he hasn't been given any assurances from anyone.
"They haven't said anything. As soon as I got traded, Troy called me and said that I was wanted here and they've tried to have me for the last couple of seasons now. I don't know what will happen, we'll see."
Fournier averaged 11.8 points over his three years on the Knicks. He averaged 14.1 points in his first season before falling out of the rotation a few months into last season. He couldn't find his way back into the lineup and will look to salvage his career after two wasted years in New York. He only played three games for the Knicks this season, averaging 4.0 points in those contests.
Evan Fournier Demanded Multiple Trades From The Knicks
Fournier is an NBA veteran who is best known for his time on the Orlando Magic. He was the team's No. 2 option behind Nikola Vucevic as the team always competed for the playoff but never got past the first round. The Magic blew that core up by sending Vuc to Chicago and Fournier to New York, who had re-emerged as playoff contenders for the first time in over half a decade.
After Tom Thibodeau made drastic changes to the Knicks rotation last season, Fournier saw his minutes disappear in favor of younger players such as Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes. Both those players are also gone from the franchise now, but Fournier has spent the better part of the last 18 months buried on the Knicks bench.
Fournier blasted Thibodeau for his treatment of veterans like him and Derrick Rose last season.
“I have nothing to say because I have none. When he took me out of the five, he just told me he was going to try something else. Then at the first match of a road trip, he announced to me that I was leaving the rotation, and ciao... You (Thobodeau) want to spit on everyone. You have hatred. Derrick Rose and I looked at each other and said to each other: ‘What the hell are we doing here?' During the five-on-five practice, we were on the side like some prospects. Uncool times”
Hopefully, Fournier finally gets a chance to reclaim his value in the NBA on the tanking Pistons. He's a likely free agent this summer, with the Pistons having a $19 million team option for the shooter.
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