Knicks Trade Evan Fournier to Spurs: 'Bold Move' or 'No-Brainer?'
Sometimes, NBA players aren't shy about their intentions in free agency or their feelings about their current team and situation. Other times, a player's hopes aren't ever publicly broadcast until days before an already-working deal becomes more official.
Then there's New York Knicks veteran Evan Fournier, who has made no secret that his time in Manhattan is all but officially over.
"Obviously, there are going be changes and I’m going to get traded," Fournier told Brian Lewis of the New York Post back in May. "There’s no way (the Knicks) are going to keep me. I would be very surprised if they did."
If New York does decide to move on from the veteran shooting guard ... and considering his ejection from the team's nine-man rotation, there's no reason to believe they wouldn't '... he'd need to find a new home. Perhaps not surprisingly, Fournier has an idea of where he'd like to play next."
"Playing for (head coach) Gregg) Popovich ... would be a pleasure and an honor," Fournier said in the midst of disparaging comments against the Knicks in an interview with Yann Ohnona of L'Equipe. "Being with Victor, looking at the Olympics, being able to start chemistry on the court, that would be great."
What would a Fournier trade to San Antionio look like? According to Bleacher Report, the "bold" move wouldn't take too much roster manipulation to get done. The framework is simple: Evan Fournier and a 2024 second-round pick for Doug McDermott.
Now, New York has already expressed its issue with including draft compensation along with Fournier, but could it be worth it?
"McDermott has hit 41 percent of his career 3-point attempts," Andy Bailey wrote. "He could give a boost to a Knicks team that finished 19th in three-point percentage last season."
Losing Fournier wouldn't be the end of the world for the Knicks, especially if they'd be adding another veteran in his place. Last season, Fournier averaged just 6.1 points on 30 percent shooting from three-point range when he did take the floor, which bodes well for McDermott's impressive rate from beyond the arc.
Getting rid of a disgruntled veteran while adding what Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calls "a great teammate" in McDermott seems like a no-brainer, at least on paper.
For now, that's all that New York has, so maybe taking the risk on a supposed "bold move" is ultimately the right move. The Knicks will just need to have some faith in their roster.
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