For months now, fans and media pundits alike have been discussing Evan Fournier and his murky future with the New York Knicks. Recently, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons proposed a trade that would finally see the Frenchman’s tenure in the Big Apple come to an end.
Via his personal Twitter account, the prolific sports personality made a prediction that Fournier will wind up being sent to the San Antonio Spurs in a deal that could wind up sending veteran sharpshooter Doug McDermott back to the Knicks.
“SA trades for Fournier as a Wemby big brother/mentor + gets a protected first or some other asset for their troubles (maybe McDermott is in deal too),” Simmons tweeted.
Executing this trade would not only see the Knicks add more capital to their collection of future first-rounders, but it would also provide them with a much-needed frontcourt floor spacer in McDermott (career 41.0% 3-point shooter) for just the remaining $13.7 million of his $41 million contract, which is $5 million cheaper than Fournier’s 2023-24 salary.
Spurs Have Interest in Evan Fournier
The concept of Evan Fournier being traded to the San Antonio Spurs is nothing new to the rumor mill, as an Eastern Conference Executive recently told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney that they could view the veteran Frenchman as somewhat of a mentor for incoming rookie Victor Wembanyama.
“There has been some interest from San Antonio to make a deal; they would give up almost nothing to the Knicks, so you get Fournier there to kind of mentor (Victor) Wembanyama,” The Executive said. “San Antonio could take him into cap space, which would free up some more wiggle room for the Knicks.”
Evan Fournier is locked in 🔥
He’s got 38 PTS
Despite his removal from Tom Thibodeau’s rotation this past season, Evan Fournier is still a quality talent who, in theory, should be in the prime of his career. During the four years prior to 2022-23, the wing found himself posting impressive per-game averages of 16.3 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 44.5% from the field and 39.7% from distance.
Knicks Could Expand Obi Toppin Trade For Damian Lillard
On Saturday, July 1, the Knicks made the bold decision to trade former lottery pick Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers. Despite it being accepted by both parties involved, however, the exchange cannot be officially completed until Thursday, July 6.
Because of this, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus suggests that New York should consider expanding the deal in an effort to land Portland Trail Blazers superstar guard, Damian Lillard.
“New York has a solid Villanova core of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and now Donte DiVincenzo (per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski), along with All-Star Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and a rugged cast of role players. But the allure of a star on the marquee like Lillard may be too enticing for the Knicks to pass up,” Pincus wrote. “The starting point in trade may need to be Barrett, who would be a valuable scoring wing for Portland alongside Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, [Scoot] Henderson and [Anfernee] Simons.”
Sources: Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard requests trade – via @ESPN App
Talks of a Damian Lillard trade with the Knicks have been a popular topic for months now, and, with his recent trade request, one should only expect such rumblings to grow louder until a deal is made elsewhere.
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Knicks Trade Prediction Swaps Evan Fournier for $41 Million Sharpshooter