Whether you believe that Evan Fournier deserves a spot in the New York Knicks rotation or not, there’s no denying that he’s been a true professional since the moment he arrived in NYC. After breaking the Knicks’ single-season record for made three-pointers in a single season in 2021-22, Fournier has been delegated to the bench.
During what was a long 2022 offseason, many fans concluded that Quentin Grimes should start in Fournier’s place. At Media Day, Tom Thibodeau infuriated fans by saying that Fournier was the “frontrunner” to start, but it turns out that Grimes was dealing with an injury that kept him sidelined until Nov. 2, where he played five minutes in a loss to Atlanta.
After overcoming a nagging foot injury, Grimes replaced Fournier as a starter, and it’s a spot that the 22-year-old has remained in. Fournier, on the other hand, is out of the rotation, although he has played occasionally when New York has been dealing with an injury or two. In Sunday’s 125-116 loss to Toronto, Fournier cracked the rotation with Immanuel Quickley out and finished with eight points (3-of-9) in 21 minutes.
Evan Fournier speaks about uncertain Knicks future after playing for the first time in two weeks
Following the game, Fournier was asked if he’d like to remain with the Knicks. The 30-year-old is a player that the Knicks could trade ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline, but reportedly, New York isn’t worried about shedding salary between now and then, meaning that the Knicks could look to trade Fournier in the offseason instead. Here’s what Fournier had to say:
"“Best case scenario, I want to stay here. I want to play here,” he said. “I had a ton of different choices in free agency and I wanted to be a Knick. I love New York. I wanted to play for [Tom Thibodeau]. So I’d love to stay, but I’d love to play.”"
Not re-signing Reggie Bullock in 2021 and instead signing Fournier to a four-year, $78 million deal in free agency certainly wasn’t Fournier’s fault, although now New York’s front office looks a bit silly after reportedly being interested in trading for Bullock with Fournier stashed on the bench. In retrospect, the Knicks shouldn’t have given Fournier the contract that he received as he’s making $18 million this season and will make $18.9 million in 2023-24 before having a club option in 2024-25. Trading him won’t come easy, which is why he’s still in New York.
Fournier has expressed his love for playing in New York multiple times, which is always a good thing to see. However, his best-case scenario isn’t something that Knicks fans should want to see play out. With all due respect to Fournier, it’s been made clear (painfully clear at times) that he’d be better off elsewhere.
A lot can happen in the next few weeks, but as we’ve said before, don’t be surprised if Fournier is still on New York’s roster on Feb. 10. Who knows, maybe his wish of staying and actually playing will come true, but for now, it’s looking as if he could either be spending his final few weeks or final season in New York. Whatever happens next, hopefully it’ll be to the benefit of Evan Fournier and the Knicks.
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