Evan Fournier To Sign With Olympiacos
11:26am: Fournier’s deal with Olympiacos covers two years and is worth more than $4MM, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
10:24am: Fournier has decided to accept the offer from Olympiacos and is finalizing a three-year contract, tweets Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.
9:03am: Olympiacos is among the European teams talking to longtime NBA guard Evan Fournier, according to Pantelis Diamantopoulos of Sport24.
With few NBA roster spots still available, Fournier has “started to ferment” the idea of returning to Europe, according to Diamantopoulos. A report late last week indicated that several clubs from Spain, Italy and France have either made formal offers or expressed interest in signing him.
Diamantopoulos states that Fournier wants to join a team with a legitimate shot at winning the EuroLeague and has already turned down Milan. Olympiacos reached the EuroLeague Final Four last season and upgraded its roster this summer with the addition of former Kings power forward Sasha Vezenkov.
Fournier is seeking a salary of two million Euros (roughly $2.2MM) from interested teams, which could present an obstacle to a deal with Olympiacos, reports Konstantinos Melagies of Gazzetta in Greece. Melagies adds that the “red and whites” already have a large roster in place, and coach George Bartzokas likes the players he has now. The team may have to give up additional money to part with any of its current contracts. However, Melagies believes that Olympiacos may be motivated to make another big move in hopes of winning a title while celebrating its 100th season.
After helping France capture a silver medal at the Olympics last month, Fournier and his agent approached NBA teams to see if there was any renewed interest, according to Melagies, but the effort was unsuccessful. He describes negotiations as “hot” and states that a resolution is expected within the next few days.
Fournier, 32, began last season with the Knicks but only appeared in three games before being traded to Detroit at the February deadline. He has previous experience in Europe, playing for JSF Nanterre and Poitiers Basket 86 in France before coming to the NBA, where he has spent the past 12 seasons.
Evan Fournier Reportedly Considering EuroLeague Offers
Since having his 2024/25 team option turned down by the Pistons and becoming an unrestricted free agent, Evan Fournier has been seeking out potential NBA opportunities. But with no deal having materialized stateside approximately two months later, the French swingman is “seriously considering” the possibility of returning to Europe, reports Michalis Stefanou of Eurohoops.
According to Stefanou, EuroLeague teams based in Spain, Italy, and France have either made a contract offer to Fournier or expressed interest in signing him.
As Stefanou points out, Fournier tweeted back in 2022 that if he were ever to return to the EuroLeague, his top choice would be Olympiacos, but it’s unclear whether the Greek club is among those teams with interest in the veteran wing.
Before being selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Nuggets, Fournier spent time with JSF Nanterre and Poitiers Basket 86 in France, so the 31-year-old is no stranger to playing overseas. However, he has been in the NBA for the past 12 seasons, appearing in more than 700 total regular season games for Denver, Orlando, Boston, New York, and Detroit.
Fournier was a reliable starter and scorer for several years in his prime, averaging over 15 points per game for six consecutive seasons from 2015-21 and setting a Knicks team record for most three-pointers in a single season in 2021/22 with 241 (Donte DiVincenzo broke that record this past season).
However, he fell out of Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation in New York during the ’22/23 season, and after eventually getting the change of scenery he sought, he struggled to make an impact in Detroit during the second half of the ’23/24 campaign, averaging just 7.2 points in 18.7 minutes per game across 29 outings, with a .373/.270/.794 shooting line.
Marc Stein reported during the second week of July that the Wizards may have interest in Fournier as a potential veteran mentor to young Frenchmen Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly. Nothing came of that though, and there haven’t been any reports since then linking Fournier to any specific NBA teams.
He probably didn’t help his stock much by posting modest numbers (9.8 PPG on 34.0% shooting, including 32.4% on three-pointers) during France’s silver medal run at the Paris Olympics.
Olympic Notes: Curry, Gobert, Fournier, Wembanyama
While no Team USA player wants to be remembered for missing out on a gold medal, the experience would be worse for Stephen Curry, who is likely involved in his only Olympics at age 36, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. The reputation of the 2004 bronze medal team was among the thoughts going through Curry’s head when the U.S. faced a double-digit deficit against Serbia in the semifinals. The Americans were able to rally for a 95-91 victory, but the same pressure will return today in the gold medal game against France.
“I came into this experience thinking that this would be my one and only time to play in the Olympics and experience this stage,” Curry said. “So that was part of my sense of relief and joy (in the game). I didn’t want to be on the team that, (like) ’04, didn’t make it to the gold-medal game and get a gold medal in my one opportunity here. So you’re thinking about (all that) while you’re still just trying to have fun playing the game that you know. It’s an interesting dynamic, because we all signed up for this, to accomplish a mission, and we’re one game away from doing it.”
Today’s matchup will be the first actual road game for Team USA, which will try to capture the gold in front of a hostile crowd in Paris. France has benefited from the rabid fan support, Amick adds, along with a lineup change that sparked upsets over Canada and Germany on the way to the gold medal contest.
Coach Vincent Collet decided to bench Rudy Gobert and play Victor Wembanyama at center, while inserting Guerschon Yabusele and Isaia Cordinier into the starting lineup. France has looked much better over the past two games, and that’s without a dominant performance from Wembanyama, who’s shooting just 6-of-27 since knockout play began.
“You expect them to play the game of their life, because they’re gonna have the home court adrenaline (and) they’re riding big momentum after these last two games,” Curry said. “You’ve got to expect them to play great, but we expect that from ourselves as well.”
There’s more from Paris:
- Gobert logged nine total minutes in the past two games, but Collet indicated that his role might increase against the taller U.S. team, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “Obviously, Rudy would prefer to play more,” Collet said. “But clearly, for the moment, this adjustment allowed us to play better in these two games. But on the other hand, the cards can be very redistributed on Saturday. Different matchups, with teams with different profiles.”
- Evan Fournier is among the French players with experience in facing Team USA, beating them in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and losing a tight game for the Olympic gold medal three years ago in Tokyo, notes Aris Barkis of Eurohoops. He’s looking forward to today’s gold medal rematch. “I think we know that France has a lot of potential, but the potential has got to go on the court,” Fournier said. “We have to be able to play team basketball.”
- Wembanyama has been among the most visible athletes at the Olympics, with Nike ads in the Paris subways and a giant image of him placed on scaffolding in the city, per Jeff Zillgitt and Kim Hjelmgaard of USA Today. It’s an extreme amount of pressure for a 20-year-old who’s expected to be the future of both French and NBA basketball. Wembanyama talked this week about having a “feeling of responsibility” as he tries to deliver the nation’s first-ever gold in Olympic basketball.
Rudy Gobert Dealing With Finger Injury
Reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was on the court for just 3:41 in France’s upset win over Canada in Tuesday’s Olympic quarterfinal showdown. Matchup and health concerns were both factors in that decision, according to post-game quotes from Gobert and French head coach Vincent Collet.
Speaking to reporters, including Sam Amick of The Athletic and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter links), Gobert said that he injured his left ring finger in a Sunday practice and underwent surgery to address the injury on Monday. He added that he was thankful he was able to play at all in the victory, which secured France a spot in the semifinals. Teammate Evan Fournier also said after the game that Gobert had a “little surgery” on his finger, according to BasketNews.com.
However, Collet later disputed that Gobert underwent surgery, telling reporters that the big man had an exam – including an MRI – and was in pain leading up to Tuesday’s game, but was eventually cleared to play (Twitter link). While the injury was one reason for Gobert’s limited role, Collet also wanted to use a smaller lineup to match up with the Canadians.
“They always start the game with Dillon Brooks at (the) four, and they play small ball,” Collet said of Canada, per Amick. “…I wanted (Victor Wembanyama) to start at (the) five, so that’s why I put back (Guerschon) Yabusele at (the) four, and the second change was (Isaia) Cordinier for Evan Fournier, because I wanted to start with a defensive starting five.”
Gobert played at least 18 minutes in each of France’s three pool-play games, averaging 6.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per contest while making 8-of-11 (72.7%) of his shot attempts. On Tuesday, he didn’t score in his four minutes of action, grabbing a single rebound to go along with one turnover.
Despite Gobert being a non-factor, France played its best game of the tournament, with Yabusele (22 points, five rebounds), Mathias Lessort (13 points, five rebounds), and Wembanyama (seven points, 12 rebounds, five assists) providing productive minutes in the frontcourt.
In the short term, it’s unclear how much Gobert will play in Thursday’s semifinal vs. Germany. In the longer term, the Timberwolves probably aren’t too concerned about his availability this fall. With about seven weeks to recover between the end of the Olympics and the start of training camp, I’d expect the veteran center to be good to go for the NBA regular season.
International Notes: Fournier, France, Okobo, Zagars, Lundberg
Free agent swingman Evan Fournier, who is currently competing with France at the Olympics in Paris, was critical of his team’s tactics following its group stage loss to Germany, as BasketNews.com relays.
“I think we lack fundamentals,” Fournier told Yann Ohnona of L’Equipe. “We have to move on. At times, I think we get it wrong in the way we want to play. And we pay the price for that. These days, the best defense is offense. It’s no longer the game of the 1990s or 2000s where you could defend half-court. Offense is essential. Balance on the court, transition game. Especially when you play a team as strong in transition as Germany is.”
The French national team, which went 2-1 in group play, will face undefeated Canada in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Here are a few more international notes:
- French point guard Elie Okobo, who did not make the cut for the Olympics, has signed a two-year extension with EuroLeague squad A.S. Monaco Basket, the team announced in a press release. The 31st pick of the 2018 draft, Okobo spent two seasons with Phoenix from 2018-20.
- Latvian guard Arturs Zagars will play for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce during the 2024/25 season, the team announced on Sunday (hat tip to Kevin Martorano of Sportando). Zagars, who drew NBA interest last summer but has never played in the league, sustained a meniscus injury last fall while on loan with the BC Wolves of Lithuania.
- Former NBA guard Gabriel Lundberg recently spoke to Vreme Citanja of Mozzart Sport about his decision to sign with Serbia’s Partizan. “I am excited. I will be part of a new project, a new team is being built,” Lundberg said, per Matorano of Sportando. “I could not miss the opportunity to play in Belgrade: Every time I played against Partizan it was incredible. I always told myself that one day I would like to play here, and I am happy that this wish came true. I am on a legendary team, with a legendary coach and a fan base that is all over Europe. I really imagined playing in front of those fans one day.” A 29-year-old guard from Denmark, Lundberg spent the past two seasons with Virtus Bologna of Italy after playing four games with Phoenix in 2021/22 while on a two-way deal.
Stein’s Latest: LaVine, Vucevic, Nembhard, Morris, C. Jones, More
While Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic remain trade candidates, it appears increasingly likely that both players will open the 2024/25 season as Bulls, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.
League sources tell Stein that the Bulls are “resigned” to the fact that they’re unlikely to find a deal they like for LaVine before opening night and may have to try to help him rebuild some trade value early in the season.
As for Vucevic, his contract (two years for about $41MM) should be easier to move than LaVine’s, but the expectation is that it will be easier for Chicago to find a deal sometime after the season begins than before that, Stein explains.
Here are a few more items from within Stein’s latest look around the NBA:
- According to Stein’s sources, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was only willing to accept a three-year extension from Indiana rather than a four-year deal. The contract will put Nembhard in position to sign his next contract in 2028 when he’s 28 and presumably right in his prime.
- The Mavericks remain committed to re-signing forward Markieff Morris, even after filling their 15-man roster by adding Spencer Dinwiddie, Stein reports. As Stein observes, A.J. Lawson is the most vulnerable of the 15 players on standard contracts, since his 2024/25 salary is non-guaranteed.
- Former NBA guard Carlik Jones, a key member of the South Sudan Olympic team, is committed to playing for KK Partizan next season after not exercising his NBA out by the July 25 deadline, according to Stein, who notes that Donta Hall‘s new two-year contract with Baskonia has an NBA out after the 2024/25 season.
- Evan Fournier and Patty Mills, who finished last season on NBA rosters but don’t have contracts for 2024/25, are among the notable free agents to watch at the Olympics, according to Stein. Stein is also curious about whether a strong showing from Nets guard Dennis Schröder in Paris could help boost his trade value as the German enters a contract year.
Stein’s Latest: Ingram, Lakers, Fournier, Hawks
Pelicans star forward Brandon Ingram has been one of the most frequently-floated names in trade discussions this summer.
According to Marc Stein at Substack, Ingram’s performance in the 2024 playoffs against the Thunder is among the factors that have given New Orleans’ potential trade partners pause. Stein also indicates that Ingram is seeking a four-year, $208MM contract extension on his current expiring deal.
League sources tell Stein that Ingram’s management is striving to help the Pelicans find a willing trade partner. As Stein writes, having the former All-Star play out his current expiring contract with the Pelicans and become an unrestricted free agent next summer likely isn’t the preferred outcome for either the player or team.
Here are more rumors from Stein:
- The Lakers are looking to create some additional cap flexibility in order to make use of their $5.2MM taxpayer mid-level exception. The team is currently right at the second tax apron, prohibiting L.A. from signing an outside free agent for more than the minimum. If the Lakers can shed some salary, free agent sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr. could be among the targets that make sense, Stein notes. The club currently has a full 15-man roster, so any cost-cutting move intended to make room for a free agent would also need to open up a roster spot.
- Sources inform Stein that the rebuilding Wizards have registered interest in free agent wing Evan Fournier, who could be a mentor to recent lottery picks and fellow Frenchmen Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly.
- While starting center Clint Capela has been on the trade block for more than a year, new Hawks big man Larry Nance Jr. – added via the Dejounte Murray trade earlier this summer – is drawing more trade interest from rival teams, Stein writes. According to Stein, multiple clubs in need of more size have expressed interest in Nance.
Olympic Notes: France, Japan, Spain, Flagg, Brooks
The host nation for the 2024 Olympics officially confirmed its roster for the Paris games, announcing a 12-man squad headlined by centers Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and Timberwolves, respectively (Twitter link).
Besides France’s twin towers, other NBA players on the French squad include Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly, and free agent swingman Evan Fournier. Nando De Colo, Frank Ntilikina, and Guerschon Yabusele are among the other players on the team who have previous NBA experience.
As first reported by Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of BeBasket on Sunday (via Twitter), France’s final two cuts were also former NBA players — guards Elie Okobo and Theo Maledon won’t be on the 12-man roster for Paris.
Here are a few more notes on the upcoming Olympic games:
- As expected, Japan’s official 12-man roster for the Olympics is headed up by Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and six-year NBA veteran Yuta Watanabe (Instagram link). Former Nebraska Keisei Tominaga, who recently agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers, is another notable name on the 12-man squad.
- After winning their Olympic qualifying tournament over the weekend, Spain is making just one change for the Olympics, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops writes. Veteran wing Alex Abrines, who played in the NBA with Oklahoma City from 2016-19, has been medically cleared to play following an injury and will replace 2024 Spurs second-round pick Juan Nunez for the Olympics. The full roster, which includes Santi Aldama of the Grizzlies and the Hernangomez brothers, can be found right here (Twitter link).
- Incoming Duke freshman Cooper Flagg said over the weekend that he was “pretty surprised” to be invited to be part of the Select Team for the U.S. training camp in Las Vegas, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. However, Flagg was the talk of that Vegas camp, earning rave reviews from players and coaches alike, according to Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Select Team assistant coach Jim Boylen referred to the 17-year-old as “unbelievable,” while teammate Jaime Jaquez said Flagg was “playing out of his mind.” Flagg is a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. “He showed no fear,” Jalen Duren said. “He came and worked hard every day. You would think he’s already here, you know what I mean?”
- After defeating Team USA with the Canadian national team for bronze at the 2023 World Cup, Dillon Brooks is eager to face a more star-studded U.S. in Wednesday’s exhibition game in Las Vegas, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I take it as (just) another game, but me being who I am, I like to make a statement,” Brooks told reporters on Monday. “So I’ll be ready to play. Team Canada will be ready to play, and we’re gonna go balls to the wall and watch the film after and see if we got better.”
Free Agent Rumors: DeRozan, Westbrook, Fournier, Saric
The Spurs have emerged as a potential third-team facilitator as the Kings continue to pursue free agent forward DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). Previous reports have indicated that Chicago is willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade but is insistent on a third team being involved so as to not take back much, if any, salary.
On the #thisleague UNCUT podcast (Twitter link), Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report stated that the Kings, Heat and Clippers are teams exploring avenues to acquire DeRozan via a three-team sign-and-trade. Haynes also mentions San Antonio as a landing spot for unwanted salary alongside Detroit.
We have more free agent rumors:
- Russell Westbrook may be more likely to go to the Nuggets through free agency rather than by way of trade, DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind opines (Twitter link). The Clippers could either buy out Westbrook or send him to another team that would buy him out, clearing the path for him to sign with Denver. For what it’s worth, finding a trade that makes sense for both sides appears difficult.
- As was reported earlier this year, Stein indicates in his latest Substack post that free agent swingman Evan Fournier‘s preference is to remain in the NBA rather than to accept a EuroLeague deal. According to Stein, Fournier is expected to receive some NBA interest as free agency winds on.
- Greek club Panathinaikos is reportedly interested in adding free agent forward Dario Saric, according to Sportando. The 30-year-old forward averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 37.6% from deep as a reserve for the Warriors last season. It would be a little surprising to see Saric make the jump to Europe so soon after free agency begins given his productive season last year and the chance for more NBA interest to trickle in.
Pistons To Decline Evan Fournier’s Team Option
The Pistons will not pick up guard Evan Fournier‘s team option for next season worth $19MM, according to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III (Twitter link). The deadline to make a decision on Fournier’s option was Saturday.
This was an expected move, since Detroit will operate under the cap, meaning declining the option frees up $19MM in room. The Pistons acquired Fournier at the 2023/24 trade deadline from the Knicks alongside Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
Fournier averaged 7.2 points in 29 games with the Pistons after the deadline after playing sparingly for the Knicks over the past two seasons. A skilled three-point shooter, the 31-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent and could help out a playoff team on a small salary.
Fournier had the most productive stint of his career with the Magic, where he averaged 16.2 PPG across 435 games with the franchise. For his career, Fournier has averaged 13.6 PPG on a 37.4% three-point clip (5.2 attempts per game).