Evan Fournier Says It's a 'Relief, for Sure' After No Knicks Dealt at Trade Deadline

Some New York Knicks fans might have been underwhelmed by the team's lack of business right up until the NBA trade deadline. But a quiet deadline day was music to the ears of veteran swingman Evan Fournier.

"Obviously, to know we’re going to finish this season with this group, there’s a relief, for sure," Fournier told reporters following a 116-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors. "I’m not going to lie."

The Knicks are 12th in the Eastern Conference at 25-31, and prior to Thursday's victory, they had dropped 10 of their previous 12 games.

With the team failing to match last year's 41-win pace, many wondered whether the front office would look to reshuffle the roster.

The Athletic's Fred Katz reported on Tuesday that Fournier and Kemba Walker were "readily available in trade talks," as was Alec Burks. SNY's Ian Begley reported that "several teams had expressed a degree of interest" in Julius Randle, too.

But not only has New York failed to meaningfully improve the roster, Begley also explained how a logjam remains to get Cam Reddish on the floor. Reddish, for whom the Knicks gave up a 2022 first-round pick and Kevin Knox, still only played 20 minutes on Thursday, a number that's below the 23.4 minutes per game he was averaging this year with the Atlanta Hawks.

In general, it's fair to wonder how much the constant speculation around the Knicks roster may have impacted the players themselves. Especially in the case of Fournier, Walker and Randle, it can't be easy stepping on to the court wondering whether you'll be out the door and how your performance in a given game might impact your future.

Just as teams that added pieces tend to get a bump after the deadline, having a better feeling of stability might actually boost the Knicks a bit over the next few days or more.

However, the same issues that have hampered Tom Thibodeau's squad all season will inevitably come to the fore sooner or later.