Evan Fournier's time with the New York Knicks ended over a year ago. After becoming an afterthought in New York, he was traded to the Pistons with Quentin Grimes for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
Fournier went from breaking the single-season record for made three-pointers in 2021-22 (which Donte DiVincenzo since broke) to losing his starting job to Grimes in 2022-23. He played in a combined 30 games from 2022 to when he was traded in February 2024.
He said he wanted to be traded over the 2023 offseason when he spoke with a French outlet. He said he needed to play if New York wanted to receive good value for him in a trade. Fournier didn't think he'd stick around with the Knicks, but he spent the first half of the season sidelined before going to the Pistons.
Fournier fell out of Tom Thibodeau's rotation because his defense became too much of a liability, and his shooting was inconsistent. There was a reason why Grimes, a 3-and-D wing, replaced him. You can argue that Fournier's shooting could've helped New York off the bench, but Thibodeau wasn't having it.
Evan Fournier criticized France's game plan at 2024 Paris Olympics
Fournier represented France at the 2024 Paris Olympics after he closed out the 2023-24 season in Detroit. Expectations were sky-high for the home team, but they hit some bumps initially and didn't look like they'd compete for the gold medal.
Germany beat France, 85-71, to win Group B. Fournier was the only French player to score double-digits (10), while Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder both scored 26 points. After the game, Fournier said Germany's execution was better, but that's not all. He ripped France's coaching staff, saying the team lacked fundamentals and "the best defense is offense."
The heated moment was featured in Netflix's new Court of Gold series. There was tension between Fournier and legendary coach Vincent Collet. The coach spoke with the media the day after France's loss, saying no other player on the team felt the same way as Fournier and that it was a "regrettable and unacceptable statement for which he bears responsibility."
Knicks fans understand all too well that defense has never been Fournier's forte. It makes sense why his playing style clashed with Thibodeau, who is notoriously a defensive-minded coach.
Fournier got himself into some hot water in France but made up for it by making some big shots down the stretch for the French national team. It wasn't enough to beat the United States, but winning silver in front of your home crowd isn't too shabby.
Watch Court of Gold only on Netflix.