Getty New York Knicks wing Evan Fournier celebrate a made basket during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The New York Knicks explored a three-team trade where Evan Fournier would have been swapped with Phoenix Suns‘ point guard Cam Payne, according to a Hoosphype report.
The trade would have involved the Indiana Pacers, who recently traded for the Knicks’ disgruntled forward Obi Toppin.
“New York, Phoenix, and Indiana had exploratory discussions on a three-team trade where Cam Payne would’ve joined the Knicks, TJ McConnell would’ve joined the Suns, and Evan Fournier and draft pick compensation would’ve gone to the Pacers, league sources told HoopsHype. There were also variations of the talks, which involved Jordan Nwora, HoopsHype has learned. Had the trade come to fruition, New York would’ve created a traded player exception of over $19 million. However, talks have since stalled,” Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto wrote.
The trade would have reunited Fournier and Toppin in Indiana.
The stalled three-team trade talks align with a recent Yahoo Sports report that the Knicks are amenable to a multi-team trade to dump Fournier’s $18.8 million salary for next season.
Fournier was also nearly flipped for role players Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt at the February trade deadline, but the Utah Jazz the Los Angeles Lakers offer — 2027 top-four protected attached to Russell Westbrook — more.
Fournier only appeared in a career-low 27 games last season, averaging 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17 minutes. It was a startling rapid fall for the 12-year veteran who broke John Stark’s single-season record for most 3s during his first season with the New York franchise after signing a four-year, $73 million deal in the 2021 offseason.
Knicks Passed up on Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
The Knicks passed up on the opportunity to trade for three-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
“There were talks between the Timberwolves and other teams before the draft and Towns’ name came up,” Begley said on the July 13 episode of The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe podcast. “I don’t know how aggressive the Timberwolves were with Towns, if at all, but the Knicks could have gone there as well, and they clearly have decided not to go there at this point.”
The news aligns with Begley’s reporting in May that the Knicks have soured on Towns.
“From what I’ve heard from a couple of people in touch with them, they felt the temperature was a little down on the interest in Towns compared to where it was very early on in Leon Rose’s tenure,” Begley said on the May 25 episode of the Hoopshype podcast with host Michael Scotto and fellow guest New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy.
Hypothetical Trade Sends Evan Fournier to Pistons
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz suggested flipping Evan Fournier for Bojan Bogdanovic, the Detroit Pistons leading scorer last season. The incentive for Pistons to do the potential trade is to acquire a conditional first-round pick.
New York Knicks receive: Bojan Bogdanovic
Detroit Pistons receive: Evan Fournier, 2024 first-round pick (top-10-protected)
“Swapping Fournier for Bogdanović is a massive upgrade, as the former wasn’t even part of the Knicks’ postseason rotation. Bogdanović, meanwhile, is coming off the best season of his career by averaging 21.6 points on 41.1 percent shooting from three with the Pistons,” Swartz wrote.
“The Knicks could use Bogdanović in a number of ways. Adding him to a starting lineup with Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson gives everyone more breathing room. The 6’7″ forward can also play backup 4 in smaller lineups, especially with Obi Toppin now dealt to the Indiana Pacers,” he added.