Spurs Envision Knicks Guard as Potential Mentor for Wembanyama: GM

As the New York Knicks continue to make plans for their upcoming offseason, the future of Evan Fournier continues to be an area of interest.

According to an Eastern Conference Executive, who spoke with Heavy on Sports’ Sean Deveney, Fournier could garner interest from the San Antonio Spurs as they look to find 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.”

Fournier has struggled for playing time under Tom Thibodeau this season, seeing the court on 27 occasions and not making a single appearance during the Knicks’ run to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

Evan Fournier Expects to be Traded by Knicks

Following the Knicks’ elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Miami Heat, Fournier spoke with Brain Lewis of the New York Post, where the topic of his future came up.

“There’s no way they’re going to keep me. I would be very surprised if they did,” Fournier said. “So we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands…My season has been over for a very long time, actually. This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago.”

The Knicks Tried to Trade Evan Fournier

According to Yahoo Sports, the Knicks attempted to trade Fournier around the February 9 trade deadline as they attempt to land Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz.

“The Knicks were another team that called about Beasley, sources said, attempting to land Beasley and [Jarred] Vanderbilt in a deal that would have sent out Evan Fournier,” Fischer wrote. “New York also eyed Beasley in 2020, when he was a restricted free agent, and that was before Gersson Rosas, then the Minnesota Timberwolves president who awarded Beasley a four-year, $60 million contract, joined the Knicks as a senior basketball adviser.”

Now, Knicks fans will be waiting to see what happens next with a guard that they believed could unlock their offense upon his arrival but failed to crack the team’s rotation for any meaningful amount of time.

It should also be noted that Fournier joined the Knicks around the same time as Kemba Walker. As such, both additions will likely be deemed bad business and consigned to the history books in the near future – assuming the front office can find a buyer for Fournier.