Knicks Trade Idea: Evan Fournier Goes South for Doug McDermott
NBA analyst Bill Simmons played general manager made a trade prediction on his podcast on Tuesday, and one of his ideas involved the New York Knicks doing business with the San Antonio Spurs.
"(San Antonio]) trades for (Evan) Fournier as a (Victor Wembanyama) big brother/mentor," Simmons suggested. "(They) get a protected first or some other asset for their troubles (maybe Doug McDermott is in the deal too)."
Fournier is entering the third year of his 4-year, $73 million contract with the Knicks and is guaranteed over $18.8 million in 2023-24. His club option the following year would be a guaranteed $19 million.
McDermott is entering the final year of his 3-year, $41.25 million contract with the Spurs and is guaranteed $13.74 million in 2023-24. He'd become an unrestricted free agent in 2024-25.
The Knicks have saved up a plethora of picks that they never used for Donovan Mitchell last summer, so losing one protected first wouldn't be too detrimental. They'd also save over $24 million if they gave away Fournier and got McDermott.
It's highly unlikely that Fournier returns to the Knicks ... he said so himself shortly after the Knicks' season ended in Miami last month. After starting the year as the Knicks' primary shooting guard, Fournier was replaced by Quentin Grimes early in the year and fell out of head coach Tom Thibodeau's nine-man rotation shortly after that. Fournier appeared in only 14 games after Nov. 15 and no postseason contests despite the Knicks' issues from deep.
In that limited playing time went from shooting 41.7 percent in 2021-22 to an abysmal 33.7 percent this past season. Having a fellow Frenchman can help Wembanyama assimilate into the Spurs' culture, even if Fournier doesn't play many minutes.
McDermott, a first-round pick in 2014, hasn't exactly played to the standard he established at Creighton, but he has remained consistent throughout his NBA career. In the last four years, McDermott averaged a combined 11.3 points per game on 48.9 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from downtown. McDermott would be a solid depth piece for the Knicks, who are in desperate need of outside shooting improvements.
This would be a solid deal all around as the Knicks would free up cap space and get a consistent shooter, while the Spurs get a player who can make a massive impact on their No. 1 overall pick and a potential first-round pick.
You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver.
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