'Uncool Times!' Evan Fournier Rips Knicks & Tom Thibodeau, Expects 'Uninteresting' Trade
There are burning bridges and then there's Evan Fournier's downright nuking.
Speaking with Yann Ohnona of L'Equipe, the New York Knicks' shooter tore into New York management for the way it handled his second season in Manhattan. Fournier arrived in New York in August 2021 through a trade with Boston and set a franchise record with 241 successful three-pointers in his debut year. He began last season as the Knicks' primary shooting guard but was usurped by Quentin Grimes and almost--entirely exiled shortly after, appearing in just 11 games (none in the postseason) after Jan. 1.
"You want to spit on everyone. You have hatred," Fournier said. "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."
"When I realized that wouldn't change, I took things more slowly. I focused on myself and didn't let the rest get to me anymore. I did three cardio sessions, two weight training sessions per week, a lot of travel work, (analyzing) game situations with an assistant coach, Daniel Brady."
While Fournier appears to have saved his relationship with Brady, the same can't be said about the one with head coach Tom Thibodeau ... or lack thereof.
"When he took me out of the five, he just told me he was going to try something else," Fournier said. "Then at the first match of a road trip, he announced to me that I was leaving the rotation, and ciao."
Fournier was likely referring to the Nov. 15 visit to Utah, which tipped off a five-game road trip. Over his prior four games, Fournier shot just 3-of-20 from the field including 2-of-13 from three. He was then a healthy scratch for the next 22 games and only re-entered the rotation upon injuries to RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson.
The 30-year-old said that while the time off allowed him an expanded personal life (the lack of a post-practice nap allowed him to take his son to school), his career can't handle another year in exile, saying it'd be a "disaster."
That and the $18.8 million commitment attached to Fournier's contract make a trade inevitable. But Fournier believes his exile was a double-edged sword, claiming that the Knicks will be unable to get a return of any noticeable value because they kept him off the floor.
"If you want to trade me with a good return, why didn't you use me?" Fournier rhetorically asked. "I was coming out of a season where I was the fourth-best three-point shooter in the league. Why not take advantage of it? Now they won't get anything interesting and that's normal because I couldn't show anything."
Fournier has never made a secret about his future in New York, foreseeing his exit minutes after the Knicks' elimination from the Eastern Conference semifinals. He reiterated that prophecy in more graphic terms.
"I would be shot," Fournier said of the idea of him donning a Knicks uniform in 2023-24. "I'm going to be traded, it's not possible otherwise or I'd be stuck, and so would they. They have several players with big contracts coming in. Unless they want to pay a crazy luxury tax."
To Fournier's point, nine-figure extensions kick in for Barrett and Julius Randle next season. Behind those deals and year two of Brunson, Fournier is the fourth-best-paid player on the Knicks' roster going into next season. When it comes to his all-but-certain departure, New York has reportedly sought to do right by Fournier, who was labeled a "good solider" in a report from Steve Popper of Newsday.
Despite posting career lows in nearly every major statistical category (including 30.7 from three-point range), Fournier believes he's capable of actively contributing to a team's success. He literally went animated went describing his mindset entering the 2023-24 campaign, comparing himself to Goku, the main protagonist from the Dragon Ball franchise.
"Do you know Dragon Ball Z, when the hero Goku finds himself on planet Namek, injured, in a regeneration capsule? I had this image in my head all year, every practice," Fournier said. "I practiced like it was offseason, the player told. "I ran a lot, I tried to progress. I've never been so strong. But that doesn't necessarily transfer to your feelings and your game."
"I need to find my rhythm playing one-on-one, (against) opposition. When I realized that I was no longer going to play, I radically changed my way of working."
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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