After spending six-and-a-half years in Orlando, Knicks guard Evan Fournier knew he was on the way out last season when he heard the Magic sent Nikola Vucevic to Chicago, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Orlando purged most of its veteran talent at the trade deadline as the team committed fully to rebuilding. Within a few hours, the Magic finalized deals involving Vucevic, Fournier and Aaron Gordon.
“Once they pulled the plug with Vuc — because Vuc got traded first to Chicago — I remember it was the one year where I felt, OK, this might happen for real now,’’ Fournier said. ‘When I saw Vuc, I was with my wife at home like, ‘Yeah, honey, we out,’ because obviously you trade Vuc. Then it was myself, then it was Gordon.’’
Fournier, who was dealt to the Celtics before signing with New York over the summer, is glad to be in different surroundings as he prepares to face his former team for the second straight game. With a roster full of young players, the Magic may be looking at several years before they return to the playoffs.
“That’s a rebuild, so a rebuild takes time,’’ Fournier said. “It is definitely gonna take them time to figure it out. It’s not my problem anymore.’’
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Rival teams view Hawks forward Cam Reddish as a strong trade candidate, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Atlanta made Reddish available at the March deadline and again heading into the draft, but couldn’t find the right deal, Scotto states. One executive told Scotto that teams would be willing to offer a protected lottery pick for Reddish.
- Executives around the league expect the Magic to eventually trade Terrence Ross to a playoff team, Scotto adds in the same piece. Orlando was seeking a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran swingman last season, but teams may not be willing to meet that price. “He’ll be moved,” an unidentified executive said. “They were trying to move him at the draft. They wanted to put him in a place where he could win. I think he’s worth a couple of second-round picks.”
- Kyle Kuzma, who was part of the Wizards‘ return for sending Russell Westbrook to the Lakers, believes the deal has made Washington a better team, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “I mean, you gotta do that trade 10 out of 10 times,” Kuzma said. “If you have an opportunity to get five good basketball players for one, it makes sense. Granted, (Westbrook is) obviously a Hall-of-Fame player and everything. He’s an unbelievable player, don’t take that wrong. But especially for a team like Washington, if you look at the track record from the past couple of years, it hasn’t necessarily been enough ballplayers here. … It’s smart, you have to do it if you’re a GM.”
On a bad team someone has to score. That’s Kuzma. Beal won’t score 80-90pts by himself every night.
They traded 5 role players for a starter tho so let’s get that straight.
But Spencer Dinwiddie is one hell of a role player if he manages to stay healthy.
I agree with what Kuzma says. You get back numbers, more players. For a great player who only is going to get an 8th seed. Future looks better now. Now if only Kuzma would man up and play a full year. I see Beal getting traded by deadline. He’s worth a lot. Then they can go full rebuild.
Dinwiddie was the best FA PG out there. He’s big and plays both ways. Lot of geniuses here don’t get that. But you see it now, don’t you.
Fournier was just what we needed. Been saying it since we all knew he would be traded at deadline. I guess in retrospect. It was smart We didn’t trade for him. Since we could sign him as a FA for this year. What all the haters here don’t see. Is Fournier shooting not only gives us what we need. But it spaces the floor for Randle and RJ. Two guys who put it on the floor. Also gives them a great outlet. For open looks. It’s the reason he’s fit in so well so quick. Hating only keeps you from learning. Thing all haters have in common. Most don’t even watch the team they hate on. That’s a Genius.
Knicks lead the league in 3PT shooting. More important they are good looks so far. More important they are speeding game up. Last yr were at bottom of fast break points. This yr we are the top (7th). Talent and chemistry is what makes a good team. When you add depth and good coaching. Then it can be special. Knicks are still young and will get better. But this team is DEEP. And that helps us to beat better teams. I said we’d be fighting for 4th seed coming in. Still believe it, but now I see a definite top 4 team. In Thibs we Trust
Anybody who thinks Cam Reddish will be traded for a lotto protected 1st or something like that is extremely delusional. Hawks never specifically made Cam available. All our guys are always available, possible exception of Trae (to a point). Cam was never on the block or in any real danger of being traded & he still isn’t. If we can get Ben Simmons or somebody like that for him then of course he’s gone but it’s ridiculous to think the Hawks would trade him for a late 1st when he was himself a lottery pick & is just now starting to realize his huge potential
Hawks don’t need Cam. And he was available during draft. Just didn’t get what they needed. Been telling you Hawks should go after CJ or Beal. Hawks have assets to do it. CJ probably comes cheaper. Personally I like Okongwu at the 4 more than Collins. I definitely go after either one. Either one makes Hawks a serious contender. They need a star vet.
He would fit a need for the Kings. Could be part of a 3 team deal involving MB3, picks, etc. The Hawks would be looking for an upgrade or just a future asset if they dont intend to reup Cam.
He would fit a need for the Kings. Could be part of a 3 team deal involving MB3, picks, etc. The Hawks would be looking for an upgrade or just a future asset if they dont intend to reup Cam. They’d have that protected lottery pick.
I love Bagley & would love him on the Hawks but definitely not for Cam. I’m also not sure what gives you the impression that we don’t intend to re-up Cam. He still has another yr left on his rookie deal after this season. The earliest I could see Cam getting traded is next seasons trade deadline, about 15 months or so from now. And if he keeps playing like he has lately he’ll definitely be our starting 2guard for a very long time
Hawks have a better chance to get beal the. Sixers !
I tend to doubt that DC would trade Beal to a team in the same division unless we overpay or they just don’t have any other offers
I just know wizards nor blazers want to build their teams round ben kardashian Simmons
Kardashian?
You BEEN saying what the Hawks should do & you BEEN wrong lol. We don’t need Cam same way we don’t need Kev, Dre, Okongwu or Jalen Johnson but obv all of those young boys are extremely talented & make us a much better team. Beal isn’t available & CJ isn’t even that much of an upgrade over Bogdan especially considering how much more he costs. You keep talking about Okongwu at the 4 & that right there disqualifies your opinion from mattering at all lol. Okongwu has never been a 4 & never will be a 4. He’s a prototypical 5. Hawks didn’t need a star vet to completely dismantle NYK last season, didn’t need a “star vet” (or Dre or Cam) to beat Philly last season. They don’t need a “star vet” now either
He’s a 4 always been a 4. I guess you never played. Only makes sense. Those who talk the most. Never played real games. 6’ 8” and 235 LBs. He’s smaller than Bron or Randle. That’s the kind of center you want. Then you are right. We don’t got NOTHING to talk about. Bogs if he has three careers will never be the player CJ is. CJ is a closer and finisher. Bogs has never even smelled that. Like you have no understanding of what a true 4 does. Keep rooting for this team. We will show you how it’s done on Christmas. And what real 4s look like. Knowledge
O might’ve been a 4 in the 80’s but he can’t play there in today’s game, he can’t stretch the floor at all. He’s an undersized 5, just like Bam in Miami. Almost identical size.
Bam plays the 4 a lot. Undersized center in today’s game means. You are using a 4 at the center. Cause you don’t win a ring or in playoffs. Unless you got real bigs on your roster. Or atleast numbers. Heat had Olynyc and Leanord. Yes teams go small more today. But none have won. Suns were first to do this with Amare. Never won and only burned him out. You want a small team. Then you will never win. Cause there is no replacement for a true Center in NBA. You can’t teach size. Rudy who is limited on offense. Changes the game. That’s what true size does. And it this Atlanta clown knew what he was talking about. Hawks would of never traded for Capela. And they wouldn’t have beat a so so Knicks team. Without Capela. So he’s all about feeling sorry for himself. True bigs is what NBA is all about. No other sport has that.
Smh Okongwu played the 5 at Chino Hills, he played the 5 at USC & he played the 5 last yr for the Hawks. Never, not once did he ever play any other position than the 5 for any of those teams. Yet you think he’s better at the 4 lol. If you ever seen the kid play then you would know that he’s not a 4. As far a CJ, he’s clearly a great player. However Bogdan costs about half as much as CJ & is about 75-80% as good as CJ. To make this slight upgrade we’d have to give up Cam Reddish (who could potentially be better than CJ) as well as Bogdan (a guy who helped us get the ECF & chose ATL in free agency when he had numerous options) & probably a 1st rd pick. It would be idiotic to make such a move. CJ is gettin $64M over the next 2yrs, Bogdan & Cam combined make a lil over $46M during the same time. CJ is guaranteed $36M for the 2024 season. Bogdan will get half that for the same season. CJ clearly isn’t twice as good as Bogi. So do yourself a favor & don’t mention CJ & the Hawks in the same sentence again unless you like looking dumb.. and you’re arguing against your own self talking about Capela lol. Okongwu is extremely similar to Clint. They play pretty much exact same way. Both very good rim protectors, very good rebounders & very good at finishing above the rim in picknroll. You say there’s no replacement for a true center in the NBA. Ok lol, Okongwu is clearly a true center. It’s fairly obvious lol maybe go back & watch any tape of him playing basketball & you’ll see it
Yawn go away you bore me. You got nothing. If you think he’s a center then they should trade Capela. Who wins with a 6’8” , 235 lb center. You may not like CJ. But he is better than any Hawk. This unless they level up will never win. Cause you don’t win with you g talent. And young talent becomes old talent quick. You don’t have to agree. I could care less. But stop showing how much you don’t know. A real center is what NBA is all about. You play Okongwu at center and you will always the be the Hawks. The ones who can’t win SHOT. Get knowledge lol.
Lol dude I don’t “think” Okongwu is a 5. I know it for a fact bc I’ve seen him play before. And just bc he & Capela both play the same position doesn’t mean we need to trade one or the other. Capela can’t play the whole game. Also Okongwu is like 20yrs old. He’s not ready to play 30+ mins for a title contender yet. We have Okongwu on a rookie contract for 2 more yrs after this season & during that time hell no doubt be stronger & bigger than he was when he came in the league… As far as CJ is concerned I obv never said I didn’t like him. I actually said he’s a great player which he is. You just said he’s better than anybody on the Hawks which is just, I mean… you’re clearly dumb as hell if you think that’s true. Lol I guess you already forgot about Trae Young and how he embarrassed/eliminated your team just a few short months ago. Lol you say young talent can’t win in the NBA well hey the Hawks are definitely older than we were last season & we did a bunch of winning then so I think we’ll be alright
Yawn
Personally I think the hawks need to make a big all in trade this season/off season.
You have Trae Young who is your future superstar, he puts up nearly 30-10-4 and is the leader of this team. But then you have a drop off in talent to some really good role players Collins, Capela, Bogi, Hunter, Hueter, Gallo, Reddish, Okungwu and so on.
Obviously a lot of upside in all the young guys but if you look at all the top top teams they have atleast 2 stars. While the hype is still up on them and their young guys need to make a play for a big name.
Brandon Ingram would be perfect.
Already signs in NO look shaky. Rumours around Zion, I beam not being the best fit with him and just a lack of improvement. You could offer them a good package including Cam Reddish who Zion knows well from playing at Duke together.
Maybe Bogi, Reddish, Okungwu and 2 firsts.
Leaving you with Trae Hueter Ingram Collins and Capela with Wright Lou Will Hunter Gallo and Deing for the bench.
I honestly think it would be perfect. Trae I think would thrive giving up some more touches to Ingram who is a good playmaker. He could play off ball similarly to Curry does with Green.
Ingram also a great shooter and would help with the floor spacing.
Off the bench you still have good depth, however you do lose depth at SG. It just opens up more minutes for Lou Will, Jalen Johnson, Mays, TLC and Cooper.
You’d also open up two more roster spots
Been saying it for two yrs now. You only get so many shots at a ring.
After you’ve been proven wrong maybe you shouldn’t be saying it anymore lol. We destroyed NYK last season not bc we traded for a “star”. We won bc of we were the better, deeper, better coached team. I guess I understand that you wouldn’t want us to be as deep & talented as we currently are so you’d like to see us make a trade but lol just trust me when I say we’re good.
Proven by who. Why would Hawks listen to me. I’m sure I can run them. Are you ??. Cause I say go get Beal or CJ it means I’m wrong. Yeah ok child. How old are you ??
Get knowledge and basketballs. That’s what you need for me.
Proven wrong by the Atlanta Hawks smh man your comprehension skills are horrible. You thought the Hawks needed to make a trade for a vet star last season to be successful. Hawks didn’t make any such trade & were extremely successful. That is you being proven wrong
I never said that, child. I said they should trade for Beal or CJ. With their assets. They are one of few teams that can make it work. Too bad You can’t comprehend that. I’m not here to be right. So get a grip. So making your team better only makes me a servant. Knowledge child, get some.
We may well end up making a big trade with NO at some point in the near future but it won’t be for BI. It’ll be for Zion. Zion made it clear before the draft that he wanted to come to the Hawks & now that we’re good I’m guessing he would wanna be here even more. As far as BI, I love his game, he’s gonna be a perennial all-star in the league. But he’s not the guy for this team rn. Especially in the deal you proposed which is just horrible tbh. If we were to trade Bogi, Cam & Okongwu for BI we would be worse defensively, rebounding & shooting as a team. And you wanna add multiple 1sts on top? Nah lol that definitely ain’t happening. Zion to ATL is something that is extremely possible tho. Probably not this season but if/when NO misses playoffs (again) look for Zion to ask for a trade. And playing with Trae, Cam & company in the capital of Black America is something that he’ll be interested in no doubt
How did Zion make it clear he wanted ATL hahaha.
Secondly you may be slightly worse defensively, rebounding and shooting as your giving up 3 for 1. But in the grand scheme of things. Ingram is a better shooter and scorer that all those three, he’s a better defender and a better rebounder so per 30 minutes or so a night that he plays he would out preform these guys.
Like I said I think he would also bring the best out of Trae who could operate more off ball and become more efficient. He’d also take put more pressure on the defences and thus create more space for others.
Zion coming to Atalanta just doesn’t make sense. Where does he play SF? He’s not quick and agile enough, he’s too overweight and unfit for that. If you put him at PF then what happens with Collins or is he traded to get Zion. In which case Collins is actually a better fit. He knows the coach, he knows the team and style of play. He’s a better shooter, healthier and can play at the 5 without getting injured.
I think Trae Ingram Collins could be like a Cury KD Bosh type starting 3. Add to that a solid defensive centre in Capela, Hueter, Hunter, and so on that’s the potential for multiple titles. Especially as GSW, Lakers, Clippers, Blazers all these good teams get old.
Ingram definitely isn’t a better shooter than Bogdan. He also isnt nearly as good defensively as Cam or Okongwu & not nearly the rebounder that Okongwu is. The Hawks have more than enough scoring as it is. The return of Cam & Dre & the eventual return of Okongwu makes us extremely tough defensively as well (ask Luka). It doesn’t make much sense for us to sacrifice shooting, defense & rebounding to add another scorer like BI. Trae & BI would be a potent duo no doubt but we got plenty other guys that can handle the ball & allow Trae to play off the ball (Bogi, Delon, Kev, Lou). We don’t need BI & if we have to lose Bogi/Cam/O/1sts to get him then we would actually get worse as a team by trading for him while also adding salary. That’s a classic lose/lose situation… As far as Zion him coming to ATL makes a lot of sense. He’s from this area, is already tight with numerous guys on the team & would fit perfectly not just on the roster but he is a perfect fit for the city of Atlanta & the culture down here. Collins would definitely have to go to NO to make any of this possible. You make a solid point about John possibly being a better fit here. John is in his 5th yr here now, he loves the city as much or more than Zion & he’s an extremely likable guy himself. That being said he’s not Zion. John is a better shooter than Zion no doubt but overall Zion is a much better player & I love John Collins. It’s a fact tho & a fairly obvious one. Zion is a talent on par with young Shaq. Every team in the league should be attempting to acquire him if/when he becomes available no matter who else is on your roster. That’s the difference between Zion & BI. BI is a great player but as we saw in LA there are certain situations where he just isn’t the best fit. Zion’s talent is so big/rare that he’s a great fit anywhere
Zion is eating his way out the league. So that’s who you want. I mean is there really anything else to say. Can’t be a real fan of you want him. Knowledge child
Disagree but is what it is
Al, you act like you’re the only one who knows hoops.
Most of the commenters here are really very knowledgeable.
As for stating O is too small to play the 5, ever heard of The Dream? Hakeem was no way as tall as he was listed… 6’9″ without shoes.
Playing the 5 is as much about broad shoulders, strong base and long arms as it is about height. Kevin Durant is not effective at the 5 despite standing about 6’11” without shoes.
Wes Unseld? Ben Wallace? Bill Russell?
All winners.
“it’s not my problem anymore.” harsh words from evan, says a lot about how he really felt about his time there.
Speaking of TRoss, he’s out here destroying the Knicks in MSG rn
Wooo . He’s got skills. Knicks got what they deserve when you don’t respect other team. Beating them by 25 doesn’t mean you own them. Go get knowledge. Like this is suppose to affect me in some way. It’s an 82 gm. season. We still got a better record thank Hawks. Too easy
Lol @ “still got a better record than Hawks”… Did you seriously forget that we ended your season in MSG in embarrassing fashion last season? Never boast about being a half game up on a team with 80games to go when that team just crushed you so decisively when it mattered most
Wooooo . You won gm 1 by luck. Thibs got outcoached. I’ve been saying since then Hawks were better. Why are you still here. This was about Hawks leveling up. Not about Knicks. Focus child. I’m trying to help Hawks clown
Nick boxer Al says those who talk the most have never played the real game, and talks more than anyone on the site. Hmmmm.