The New York Knicks recently traded Evan Fournier to the Detroit Pistons as part of a blockbuster NBA trade deadline deal that saw Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks join Jalen Brunson and company in the Big Apple.
Fournier’s brief stint with New York was a tale of two wildly different seasons. In his first year as a Knick, the French veteran broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers in a single season with 241 treys. Fournier started in 80 contests during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 14.1 points on 38.9% shooting from deep.
Fournier only appeared in 27 outings the following season with just seven starts. By mid-November, he had gone from New York’s starting shooting guard to out of the nightly rotation altogether.
When asked about his recent transition from New York to Detroit, Fournier told Mike Curtis of The Detroit News that he is excited and looking forward to a fresh start with his new squad.
“I’m really excited to finally be out of New York, so I’m looking forward to a new opportunity,” Fournier said. “I don’t know what is going to happen, we’ll see … I’m just gonna be myself. If I can help the young guys with what I see, I’ll gladly do it. First of all, I have to know them … Get to know them personally and start working with them in that sense.”
Fournier’s role is up in the air for a rebuilding Pistons team that could elect to feature its young pieces in the second half of the season. However, the Frenchman’s less-than-ideal situation with New York had him wanting a trade for a long time, and he got his wish.
New York sports reporter Ian Begley revealed that Fournier had been checking on trade rumors “multiple times per day” in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 8 deadline.
Some Pistons fans want the team to buy out the 31-year-old, so he can play a reserve role for a contending team in the playoffs. After all, Fournier does not exactly fit Detroit’s youthful timeline.
The City that Never Sleeps slept on Fournier. Whether he stays in Detroit, gets playing time, or enters free agency via the buyout market, Fournier has finally moved on from a sticky situation he wanted out of.
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