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Evan Fournier wants to play with Victor Wembanyama and Spurs

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated20 Jul 2023

New York Knicks Evan Fournier wants to play with Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio Spurs

Evan Fournier, 30, has spent his past two NBA seasons with the New York Knicks, and now it appears the 11-year veteran is interested in playing with No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

In an interview with French outlet L’ Equipe, he cites a lack of playing time with the Knicks during the regular season and playoffs as one of his top reasons for wanting out of New York.

According to a couple of NBA betting sites, the San Antonio Spurs hold 19th-ranked odds to win next season’s championship in 2024. Some sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder.

“It’s not the Spurs of 2014 anymore but playing for [Gregg Popovich], and learning from him, it would be a pleasure and an honor, for sure,” Evan Fournier said. “Being with Victor, looking at the Olympics, being able to start chemistry on the court, that would be great.”

More importantly, both basketball players are French. Fournier was born in Saint-Maurice, France. The 6-foot-6 guard played for JSF Nanterre (now known as Nanterre 92), a professional French basketball club of the LNB Pro A, from 2009 to 2010. He also played two years (2010-12) with the Poitiers Basket 86 of the Pro A.

New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier is interested in playing with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, would be thrilled to test chemistry on the court

Victor Wembanyama was born in Le Chesnay, France. Just like Fournier, the 7-foot-3 power forward played with Nanterre 92 (2019-21). In June 2021, the Frenchman signed a three-year contract with ASVEL of the Pro A and EuroLeague. Of course, Wembanyama then played for the Metropolitans 92 in the 2022-23 Pro A season.

Wembanyama finished his professional basketball career in Europe as a three-time Pro A Best Young Player (2021-23), two-time LNB All-Star (2021, 2022), LNB All-Star Game MVP (2022), Pro A champion (2022), Pro A Best Scorer (2023), Pro A Best Defender (2023), and Pro A MVP (2023).

In August 2021, Evan Fournier signed a four-year, $73 million contract with the Boston Celtics as part of a sign-and-trade with the Knicks. The guard made $18 million in the 2022-23 season and carries a cap hit of $18,857,143 for 2023-24. His deal also includes a $19 million team option for 2024-25.

Fournier made 80 starts with the Knicks in the 2021-22 season. He averaged 14.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steal, and 29.5 minutes per game. Additionally, the guard shot 41.7% from the floor and 38.9% beyond the arc.

On Jan. 6, 2022, in New York’s 108-105 win over the Celtics, Fournier’s former team, he scored a career-high 41 points on 15-of-25 (60%) shooting from the field and knocked down 10 3-pointers.

Fasting forward to the 2022-23 season, the guard made seven starts in only 27 appearances with the Knicks. He averaged 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 17 minutes per game. Not to mention, he shot career lows of 33.7% from the field and 30.7% outside the arc.

Evan Fournier played the first 13 games of the 2022-23 season before going on a six-week, 22-game benching. If the Spurs traded for the guard, there’s no telling how many minutes he’d receive from Popovich.

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