New York Knicks: 3 players to target in potential salary dumps
By Chip Murphy
New York Knicks salary dump trade target No. 1: Evan Fournier
Trading for Evan Fournier wouldn’t be a typical salary dump. He isn’t in the middle of some $100 million contract and he’s not 35 years old. Fournier is entering the final year of his deal and right in the middle of his prime.
The 28-year-old was second on the Orlando Magic in points per game (18.5), and 3-pointers made last season (173). He set career highs in each category. It was his best shooting campaign since an abbreviated rookie season in 2012-13 (38 games). Next season will be the final one of Fournier’s deal — a $17 million player option he’d be crazy not to accept.
Fournier would instantly raise New York’s floor. I’m not saying they become a playoff team overnight because of Evan Fournier, but add a couple of pieces along with him, and you don’t have a 20-win team next season. The bar is low in New York.
Fans shouldn’t be worried about Fournier taking looks away from the young players either. His usage percentage last season was 23.9 percent. For context, that’s almost identical to RJ Barrett’s usage of 24 percent.
One thing that would make Fournier so valuable to the Knicks is his ability to get points while playing off the ball. He was in the top 10 in total possessions for play types in handoffs (76th percentile) and off screens (70th percentile), per Synergy Sports.
But it won’t be easy to get Fournier. After years outside the playoffs in the post-Dwight Howard era, Orlando is wary of bottoming out again. It’s more likely that the Knicks could get Fournier’s teammate Al-Farouq Aminu.
The 30-year-old is coming off a knee injury that limited him to 18 games in his first season with the Magic. Aminu still has two years and $19 million left on his contract. Jonathan Isaac’s injury likely complicated Orlando’s trade plans, but that shouldn’t deter Leon Rose and his team from pursuing Fournier.
The DeVos family didn’t waste time making cuts due to COVID. Back in July, the Atheltic reported that the Magic laid off 16 full-time employees — representing about 10 percent of the franchise’s full-time staff. The Magic were fifth in the NBA in payroll last season, and their payroll for 2020-21 still projects to be at well over $100 million.
Did I forget to mention Fournier is teammates on the France national team with Frank Ntilikina? Fournier memorably defended Frank on Twitter following his standout World Cup performance. Oh, and Frank once referred to Fournier as a dog in an SB Nation article. You can’t make this stuff up.