Getty Evan Fournier of the New York Knicks shoots the ball as Seth Curry and Andre Drummond of the Brooklyn Nets defend.
The New York Knicks seem to be ramping up their efforts to offload Evan Fournier’s remaining two seasons under contract this summer, and, though recent trade negotiations may have gone south, one NBA insider believes there’s another team that could swoop in and snag the veteran Frenchman.
In a recent edition of Begley’s Mailbag, SNY’s Ian Begley was asked by a follower if any other team has “gotten involved in a possible Fournier deal.” Though he did not commit to rattling off a slew of different organizations, the insider noted that he’s, in fact, watching the San Antonio Spurs closely.
“I have heard that a few teams – teams that seem like they could make the playoffs – have had interest in acquiring Evan Fournier. One other team that I am keeping an eye on is San Antonio. The Spurs are among those teams who have had interest in acquiring Fournier via trade,” Begley wrote.
Begley would continue on to state that the Knicks are “against” attaching draft capital in a Fournier deal, which likely means that any move with the Spurs would involve undesired salary coming back in exchange for his services in any hypothetical exchange.
Luckily, San Antonio has an individual within their arsenal who many have suggested could be an ideal swap candidate in a possible offseason Evan Fournier trade.
Doug McDermott Could be a Possible Knicks Return Option
Some such as The Ringer’s Bill Simmons have suggested trading Evan Fournier for a return package including Doug McDermott could be a rather plausible scenario, and it’s easy to see why.
From the Spurs’ side of things, as Ian Begley noted in his piece, “Fournier and Spurs No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama share a home country (France) and an agent (Bouna Ndiaye).” Bringing the 30-year-old aboard to help acclimate and mentor the 19-year-old phenom is something that could be highly beneficial for the franchise, and one Eastern Conference Executive told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney that such an ideology may already be felt.
As for the Knicks, their main goal is seemingly to rid themselves of Fournier’s remaining years of his four-year deal, currently with an average salary of $18.9 million over the next two seasons.
Swapping him out for Doug McDermott would be a simple way of doing so, all while simultaneously lowering their 2023-24 payroll in the process, as the Spurs forward is slated to make just $13.7 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
On top of this, they wouldn’t be losing any needed traits in the exchange, as McDermott is a proven long-range marksman (showed off such attributes during his previous stint with New York back in 2017-18) who boasts a career 3-point shooting clip of 41.0 percent, which would be a great addition to the Knicks’ rotation that just ranked dead-last in shooting from distance this past postseason, converting on just 29.2 percent of their attempts.
Knicks Guard Quentin Grimes Joins USA Training Camp
On July 21, it was announced by The Athletic’s Shams Charania that Knicks guard Quentin Grimes will be participating as one of the rising stars named to the U.S. Select Team this summer.
The 25th overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, the shooting guard is coming off an impressive sophomore season in New York, finishing with averages of 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from deep.
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Grimes joins other promising names such as Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets, and Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings on the roster that will be gearing up to scrimmage against Team USA, which Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart will be a part of.