The New York Knicks are on an eight game win streak, and these wins have come with Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish out of the rotation.
That doesn’t mean they don’t get any minutes as we’ve seen Rose check in during a victory over the Bulls, but it does mean those three aren’t playing critical roles on the team and could potentially be moved.
Fournier, the Knicks record holder in three pointers made in a season, has a lot he could provide to a team in need of shooting. The Los Angeles Lakers are one such team, and they’ve been linked to Fournier in the past.
The latest development comes from Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney via a conversation with a Western Conference executive. The executive says the Lakers have called about Fournier and struggling guard Patrick Beverley has been the player that came up in those talks.
Beverley for Fournier?
Beverley is making $13 million this year for the Lakers, and while he was hyped up as a good signing for the team, he’s been anything but for them.
On the year, Beverley is shooting an abysmal 33.6 percent from the floor and 26.4 from deep along with averaging five points a game. For being a starter, the Lakers likely expected a lot more out of him, and they are left with few other options as long as he’s on the roster.
Shipping him to New York for a more valuable option for them could be something to look at, and it would even benefit the Knicks.
“If the Lakers want to move him on, they are going to have to take back a bad contract that extends into the future, and that will eat into their potential cap space next summer—not sure they want to do that,” the exec told Deveney. “But they have talked about Evan Fournier with the Knicks, with Beverley being the primary return guy for the Knicks.”
In this scenario, Fournier would be the “bad contract” the Lakers take back while the Knicks are saddled with Beverley. Fournier signed a four-year, $73 million deal two offseasons ago and already finds himself out of the rotation, so that’s a lot of wasted money the Knicks have the potential to move.
On paper, Beverley seems to be a guy coach Tom Thibodeau would like having on the roster, but if his shooting splits stay the way they are, it’s tough to imagine him finding any minutes on the surging Knicks.
Beverley Could Be Bought Out
In this hypothetical deal, moving Fournier would be the most important thing done by the Knicks as he’s making a lot of money without even playing for the team.
While removing his contract wouldn’t free up money for a star player, it would help provide a bit of flexibility in the next offseason, and there’s a chance Beverley could end up being bought out if he’s traded.
In the event he is traded, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports Beverley would be eyeing a return to the Minnesota Timberwolves if he is bought out.
“Should Beverley ultimately get moved to a rebuilding situation like the Pistons, the grizzled guard has a desire to return to Minnesota, sources said, should he reach free agency via buyout,” he said.
The Knicks aren’t a rebuilding roster, but they also might not want to make room for Beverley, so he could find himself facing a buyout provided he’s traded to New York.
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Knicks Trade Evan Fournier to Lakers in Proposed Swap