NBA Rumors: Evan Fournier's Knicks Contract Option Could Be Picked Up for Star Trade

The New York Knicks aren't in a rush to offload Evan Fournier despite the veteran wing remaining frozen out of the rotation, according to The Athletic's Fred Katz.

Fournier has a $19 million club option for the 2024-25 season, and Katz explained picking up the option "is on the table" because it could help New York line up the financials in a major trade.

"The Knicks are still eyeing the upcoming summer for a big-star trade, league sources said," he wrote. "And they'd prefer to deal as little out of today's rotation as they can to make that happen. Exchanging Fournier for expiring veterans could force them to include at least two of Robinson, Hart and Donte DiVincenzo along with Grimes in a deal this summer. That's not what they want."

Fournier has suited up just three times in 2023-24, the last of which saw him log 5:36 on the court in a 113-109 win over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 18.

The 31-year-old only played sporadically last season as well. His 27 games were a career low, and his 13 minutes per contest were his second-fewest.

Fournier assumed the writing was on the wall after the Knicks lost to the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.

"There's no way they're going to keep me. I would be very surprised if they did," he said, per the New York Post's Brian Lewis. "So we'll see. It's obviously not in my hands."

However, Katz outlined how Fournier is too valuable as a trade asset for New York to buy him out of his deal or release him outright. That leaves the Frenchman stuck in a state of limbo. He equated it to "being held hostage" in a September interview with French radio station RTL (via the Post's Zach Braziller).

Plenty of fans would gladly swap places with Fournier. Getting paid $18.9 million and hardly ever playing is a good gig if you can get it.

His frustration is understandable, though. Being a healthy scratch every night isn't a lot of fun. In Fournier's case specifically, he'll also be looking toward the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. French national team coach Vincent Collet lamented his lack of playing time and what it could mean for the squad.

But it doesn't sound like a change of scenery will be arriving until the summer at the earliest.