Evan Fournier began his tenure with the New York Knicks in 2021 the way he had started several of his previous seasons, as a valued scorer featured heavily in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s lineup. In the blink of an eye, the French shooting guard went from starting all 80 games and logging 29.5 minutes per night to getting benched on the first Friday night of November against the Philadelphia 76ers the following year.
Never able to reclaim a spot in the rotation, Fournier’s frustration with a stark decline in playing time compounded until he and the franchise were on one accord that a change was needed.
Knicks and Evan Fournier both got their wishes answered with Pistons trade
Now, following his deadline trade from the Knicks to the Detroit Pistons, not only can Fournier take a deep breath in and let out an exhale of relief to be in a new environment, but that’s exactly what he did when he spoke to reporters after his first practice in the Motor City.
Fournier, 31, told Mike Curtis of The Detroit News and the rest of the reporters in the tunnel his unabashed thoughts on the long-awaited trade:
“I’m really excited to finally be out of New York, so looking forward to a new opportunity,” Fournier said.
It didn’t take much for Fournier to get his points across. His time in New York came to an uneventful end, but the positive is that his new franchise did not just trade for him as a strategic move to take on an expiring contract or bear a burden for the sake of acquiring a star talent. The Pistons desired his services.
Will Fournier get playing time in Detroit and take his revenge on the Knicks in their next matchup?
Fournier also said this when asked about whether he’ll get the playing time he yearns for under Pistons head coach Monty Williams:
“They haven’t said anything. You know, as soon as I got traded, Troy [Weaver] called me saying I was wanted here, that they tried to have me for the last couple of seasons. So I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see.”
The Pistons have now inherited a player in Fournier who is still capable of putting the ball in the net, even if it’s in less court time. Fournier, was able to score a season-high 10 points in 17 minutes in the Knicks’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 30. He will be a veteran option for coach Williams to deploy in an otherwise young lineup.