Spurs Trade for Knicks' Evan Fournier: 'Bold Move' or No-Brainer?
New York Knicks veteran Evan Fournier hasn't been quiet about his desire to be traded this offseason.
"Obviously, there are gonna be changes and I’m gonna get traded," Fournier told 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."
In the case that the New York does indeed decide to move on from the veteran shooting guard, he'd need to find a new home. And — perhaps not surprisingly — Fournier has an idea of where he'd like to play next.
"Playing for [Gregg] Popovich [and the San Antonio Spurs] ... would be a pleasure and an honor," Fournier said. "Being with Victor [Wembanyama], looking at the Olympics, being able to start chemistry on the court, that would be great."
So, Fournier to San Antonio? What would that 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.
"For San Antonio, this deal would give Wembanyama a French teammate who can help him transition to life in the NBA," Bleacher Report wrote. "Fournier should still be able to play, too."
Losing McDermott wouldn't be the end of the world for San Antonio, either. They would lose some consistency from beyond the arc, but with a plethora of young talent emerging from Summer League and from rising second-year players, the Spurs have options.
Last season, Fournier averaged just 6.1 points on 30 percent shooting from 3, but the year prior he showed his potential, shooting near 40 percent to average 14.1 points a game. Perhaps the change of scenery would prove beneficial for the vet, who fell out of the Knicks' rotation down the stretch last season.
Plus, being able to add a veteran with the same French connection that Wembanyama has would be extremely beneficial for the 19-year-old's development. That makes it seem like a no-brainer — at least on paper.
And for now, that's all that San Antonio has, so if an obviously beneficial trade is considered a "bold move," then the Spurs should embrace it.
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