Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Evan Fournier

Deveney’s Latest: Blazers, Harkless, Saric, Matthews

February 4th, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After officially acquiring Rodney Hood in a trade with Cleveland earlier today, the Trail Blazers may not be done dealing, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. According to Deveney, some executives around the NBA have suggested that Portland regretted its relative inactivity at last season’s deadline and is more willing to make moves this time around.

Whether the Trail Blazers do anything drastic may hinge on their willingness to move second-year big man Zach Collins, according to Deveney, who says that the team has “resisted inquiries” on Collins so far.

Maurice Harkless is among the Trail Blazers who could be had though, and the team is open to moving its first-round pick as well, per Deveney. Harkless has one more year on his contract after this season, which figures to limit his value — teams like the Knicks and Nets have had interest in him in the past, but won’t want to compromise their 2019 cap flexibility by acquiring him now, Deveney observes.

Here’s more on the Blazers, plus a couple other notes from Deveney on the trade market:

  • Nikola Mirotic (Pelicans), Jeremy Lin (Hawks), Evan Fournier (Magic), and JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) are among the players the Trail Blazers have expressed interest in, sources tell Deveney.
  • Dario Saric‘s production and playing time has dipped since Ryan Saunders took over as the Timberwolves‘ head coach, and Deveney suggests that it wouldn’t be a shock to see Saric back on the trade block in the offseason, or even this week. “He could be had for a decent offer, a first-rounder and a player,” one league executive told Deveney.
  • Deveney reiterates that the Raptors and Rockets are expected to be among the favorites for Wesley Matthews if he’s bought out, as we heard earlier today. The Bucks wouldn’t be among Matthews’ suitors, per Deveney, though Milwaukee hopes to add one more frontcourt piece via trade or free agency.
Retweet 6 Share 0 Send via email0

Magic Veterans Feeling Urgency To Win

January 22nd, 2019 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic haven’t made the postseason since 2012, but they’re in position to push for a playoff spot this year. While their 20-27 record puts them just 11th in the Eastern Conference, they’re only 2.5 games removed from the No. 8 seed. And, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details, Orlando’s veterans are feeling pressure to earn a top-eight spot or risk having the roster broken up in the offseason.

“We’re not stupid,” Evan Fournier said on Monday, per Robbins. “We know if we don’t make the playoffs this year, this is probably over for us as a team.”

As Robbins writes, after the Magic fell to 19-27 with Saturday’s loss to the Bucks, Nikola Vucevic conveyed to his teammates that there wasn’t much room for error if the club wants to reach the postseason. According to Fournier, Vucevic said that the Magic’s next three games – starting with last night’s win over the Hawks – “were basically our season” and that they needed to come out with some urgency.

“I just told the team that this is it,” Vucevic said. “These next couple of games we have to get some wins. Otherwise, it’s going to be very, very hard for us to achieve our goal to get to the playoffs. I just wanted to make sure that they understand that, that every game going forward for us is a big game. But it has to be done now.”

Fournier has another guaranteed season on his contract after this year, plus a player option for 2020/21, so he could return to the Magic even if the club shakes things up this summer. However, Vucevic and Terrence Ross will be unrestricted free agents, and if Orlando makes major changes, those changes might also involve trading a veteran like Fournier. For his part, the 26-year-old Frenchman says he and his veteran teammates are hoping this isn’t their final run with the Magic.

“We like it here,” Fournier said. “We like to play with each other. We’re starting to get better (as a team), and we’ve been struggling for so long here, we want to see the results. We’ve spent so many times and hours with the Magic. You want to see it work, you know? It’s like when you’re trying to make it work with your wife. You want to make it work. It’s not like you want to change wives. It’s the same thing (with the Magic). So, yeah, of course, we want to have great moments together.”

The Magic will look to build on Monday’s win with games against a pair of Eastern playoff hopefuls on tap for Wednesday (at Brooklyn) and Friday (vs. Washington).

Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Southeast Notes: Waiters, Fournier, Adebayo, Howard

August 4th, 2018 at 2:29pm CST by clarkcrum

In order to improve upon their 2017/18 campaign without having made any significant changes this offseason, the Heat had better hope that Dion Waiters, who missed 52 games last season, becomes this season’s Victor Oladipo, opines Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.

There are some unquestionable similarities between Oladipo and Waiters. As Winderman notes, both were traded from Oklahoma City, both were top five selections in their respective drafts, and both are now playing for their third NBA franchise.

“You can never predict anything in this league,” Riley said. “You look at what happened last year to Indiana and how good they became getting [Domantas] Sabonis and Oladipo, how they changed, how their mentality changed. They made some good additions. Very few people talk about them.”

Per Winderman, it’s that type of under-the-radar approach from Riley that has defined the Heat’s offseason thus far. Riley seemingly believes that his team is good enough to complete already.

“One thing we have going for us is we have familiarity, we have continuity,” Riley said. “There is a system that’s been intact here. (And) not having Dion Waiters play hardly at all, you’ve got to give it another shot. You can’t just keep ripping things up every year and changing your roster.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Retweet 13 Share 0 Send via email0

Seven Teams Discussing No. 4 Pick With Grizzlies

June 20th, 2018 at 11:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies remain in discussions with a number of clubs about the possibility of a trade involving the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. Givony identifies the Mavericks, Magic, Bulls, Knicks, Nuggets, Celtics, and Clippers as teams that have shown “varying degrees of interest” in making a deal.

Memphis has been exploring the idea of trading the No. 4 selection throughout the pre-draft process, and would like to include Chandler Parsons‘ unwanted contract in any swap. According to Givony, Parsons would likely be part of any deal Memphis makes involving that fourth overall pick.

Sources tell Givony that the Grizzlies don’t want to move out of the lottery altogether, so teams picking within a few spots of Memphis will likely have the best odds of making a deal, which could be bad news for a club like Boston. According to Givony, the Grizzlies have their eye on Wendell Carter Jr. as a potential target, so they may not want to drop too far — Carter is considered a probable top-10 pick.

A trade involving the Grizzlies and Magic, who hold the No. 6 pick, might appeal to Memphis if Orlando is willing to include Evan Fournier, per Givony. However, the Magic are hesitant to do so, preferring to offer up Bismack Biyombo. We heard earlier on Wednesday evening that the Knicks have considered a move up – perhaps to No. 4 – for Mohamed Bamba.

It’s possible that trade talks will go right down to the wire, since teams interested in moving up will likely want to make sure that their preferred prospect is available at No. 4.

For what it’s worth, Kevin O’Connor reported earlier in the evening (via Twitter) that the Mavs, Magic, Bulls, Knicks, Clippers, and Celtics have also explored the possibility of moving up to No. 3 in a trade with the Hawks. O’Connor suggested that Luka Doncic or Bamba would be the targets in that spot.

Retweet 8 Share 0 Send via email0

And-Ones: NBA Africa Game, Global Camp, Upshaw

May 31st, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan and Sixers center Joel Embiid will headline the rosters in this summer’s NBA Africa Game, the league announced today. The event, which will take place on Saturday, August 4 in Pretoria, South Africa, will feature a Team Africa vs. Team World format, with Cameroon native Embiid heading Team Africa and DeRozan representing Team World.

Joining Embiid on Team Africa will be fellow NBAers Al-Farouq Aminu, Bismack Biyombo, Cheick Diallo, Evan Fournier, Serge Ibaka, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Pascal Siakam. DeRozan’s teamates on Team World will include Harrison Barnes, Danilo Gallinari, Rudy Gay, Khris Middleton, and Hassan Whiteside.

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the basketball world:

  • A total of 40 draft-eligible prospects from outside the United States will take part in the NBA Global Camp 2018 in Treviso, Italy from June 2-5, the NBA announced on Wednesday. While Luka Doncic won’t attend the pre-draft showcase, there will be plenty of prospects worth watching, including Cedevita forward Dzanan Musa, who is the No. 19 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.
  • The mother of Zeke Upshaw, the G League player who passed away earlier this year after collapsing during a Grand Rapids Drive game, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the NBA and the Pistons of negligence. The suit alleges that the defendants failed to provide the Drive with the “the resources, policies, and procedures reasonably necessary” to prevent or handle Upshaw’s collapse. Noah Trister of The Associated Press has the full story and more details.
  • Now that two-way contracts have been in effect for nearly a full year, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days explores what sort of changes we may see to the rules surrounding those contracts in the future.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Southeast Notes: Batum, Fournier, Heat, Wade

April 25th, 2018 at 6:11pm CST by clarkcrum

In a mailbag piece for The Charlotte Observer, Rick Bonnell argues that despite the frustration voiced by fans over the contract of Nicolas Batum, who’s still owed $76.7MM in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, the Hornets should not even consider waiving the swingman.

That’s because under the new CBA rules, Batum’s salary would continue counting against the Hornets’ cap even after his release, as there is no longer an amnesty provision incorporated into the new CBA. Moreover, the Hornets had more issues this season than Batum.

Instead, Bonnell suggests that Batum’s contract, although troublesome, is not “untradeable,” and that the Hornets should be able to trade Batum away if they are willing to take on some other bad contracts in return.

And in another article for the Observer, Bonnell opines that Batum doesn’t necessarily need to be traded. Rather, the Hornets’ next head coach should look to resurrect Batum’s game, which may mean letting him handle the ball more as arguably the team’s top ball-mover and facilitator.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • After a tough season in which his team finished 25-57 and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, Magic guard Evan Fournier plans on joining his countrymen on the French National Team for the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers, he tells FIBA.
  • In a season-ending piece for the Sun-Sentinel, Ira Winderman gives his thoughts and other information on the 17 players who finished the 2017/18 NBA season as members of the Heat – including two-way players Derrick Walton Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr.
  • In another article for the Sun-Sentinel, Winderman compares this upcoming offseason to the summer of 2016, when Dwyane Wade left the Heat for Chicago. Ultimately, Winderman believes that unlike two years ago, it’ll be wholly up to Wade as to whether he wants to play in Miami next season, as long as he’s willing to accept a reasonable contract.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Injury Updates: Griffin, Fournier, Warriors, Wizards

March 30th, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

While news of Joel Embiid‘s orbital fracture and surgery has dominated the conversation over the last 24 hours, we have injury updates to pass along on several other notable players around the NBA. Let’s dive in…

  • Pistons star forward Blake Griffin has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right ankle, the team announced today in a press release. Griffin will be re-evaluated in a week. With just 13 days left in the regular season and Detroit all but eliminated from the postseason race, it wouldn’t be surprising if Griffin doesn’t play again this season.
  • Evan Fournier, who has been on the shelf since March 7 due to a sprained MCL, is “unlikely” to return to the court before the end of the 2017/18 season, Magic head coach Frank Vogel said this week (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel). Fournier will head into the summer preparing to enter the third year of his five-year deal with Orlando.
  • The Warriors can’t seem to get everyone healthy as the regular season winds down. As Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle details, head coach Steve Kerr said Klay Thompson could return on Saturday from the thumb injury that has sidelined him for over two weeks. However, Andre Iguodala left Thursday’s game in the third quarter with a sore left knee, jeopardizing his short-term availability (link via ESPN.com).
  • The Wizards appear to have avoided disaster in the form of Otto Porter and Bradley Beal injuries, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Beal was able to return to Thursday’s game after banging his knee, while Porter’s rolled ankle was dubbed just a “minor” sprain by head coach Scott Brooks.
  • The Nuggets, looking to stay alive in the playoff hunt, have a big game on tap Friday night against Oklahoma City, but Gary Harris will be unable to return from his knee injury to play in that game, as Gina Mizell of The Denver Post writes.
Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Pistons Rumors: Failed Trades, S. Johnson, Love

February 1st, 2018 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons had originally planned to approach this season’s trade deadline by aggressively pursuing upgrades on the wing, writes Jake Fischer of SI.com. League sources tell Fischer that Detroit looked into several potential trade candidates around the NBA, including Danny Green, Jordan Clarkson, Tyreke Evans, Rodney Hood, and Courtney Lee. The Magic also called to discuss a deal that would have included Evan Fournier, Elfrid Payton, and Luke Kennard, per Fischer.

As a result of all that research and legwork on wing players, the Pistons came to a realization that prompted them to change direction. “It’s becoming a wing league, and not many teams are willing to move those players,” a Pistons source told Fischer. “We were willing to give up ours.”

Rather than looking to build up on their own wing depth, the Pistons decided to part with Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris in a deal that would bolster their frontcourt instead. It remains to be seen whether that approach will pay off, but the team will start to find out tonight, with Blake Griffin set to make his Pistons debut. “It’s time to make a run now,” one team source told Fischer, who notes that seven of Detroit’s eight remaining games before the All-Star break are at home.

Here’s more on the Pistons from Fischer:

  • The Pistons, who explored trading for Eric Bledsoe last summer, circled back to him in November and came “within inches” of acquiring him in a three-way deal with the Suns and Pelicans, according to Fischer. That trade, which would have included Reggie Jackson, fell through.
  • The Pistons will continue to keep an eye out for opportunities to acquire wing players, and Fischer hints that Stanley Johnson is more likely than Kennard to be included in such a deal.
  • Detroit’s front office worked with Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and GM Michael Winger on the Griffin deal. Head coach Doc Rivers, who served as the Clippers’ head of basketball operations until this past offseason, didn’t find out about the deal until Sunday — by that point, every detail except the first-round pick protections had already been agreed upon, a league source tells Fischer.
  • If the Pistons had been unable to finalize a deal for Griffin, they were planning to shift their focus to Kevin Love, says Fischer. Obviously, that was before Love suffered his hand injury, though there’s no indication that the Cavaliers would have seriously considered moving him.
Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Kyler’s Latest: Magic, Walker, Kawhi, Bucks, Blazers

January 23rd, 2018 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams that have been in contact with the Magic believe that Orlando’s front office is looking to shed some salary and trade players that don’t fit the club’s direction, Steve Kyler reports in his latest piece for Basketball Insiders. However, draft picks don’t appear to be atop the Magic’s wish list, with the team preferring to acquire expiring contracts and/or players on rookie contracts. Kyler suggests that Orlando would prefer to acquire players that are a little further along, rather than rebooting its rebuilding process by focusing on future picks.

While the Magic have “seriously” gauged potential trade interest in Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier still looks like the player most likely to be moved at the deadline, according to Kyler. Fournier is enjoying a career year, posting a career-best 18.0 PPG through 38 games this season, and he seems to be generating the most interest from rival teams.

Here are a few more highlights from Kyler’s latest look at the trade market:

  • League sources that have engaged the Hornets in Kemba Walker discussions believe that Charlotte is gathering facts and information, but is unlikely to move the star point guard at the February 8 deadline, according to Kyler. An offseason trade involving Walker may be more viable.
  • There’s a belief that the Hornets tried to engage the Spurs about a trade idea involving Walker and Kawhi Leonard, which may have been how the Walker rumors started, writes Kyler. Leonard was named specifically in Rick Bonnell’s recent Charlotte Observer story as the type of All-Star the Hornets would want to get back for Walker, so there may be something to that theory. However, league sources tell Kyler that the Spurs have immediately shut down any inquiries they’ve received on Leonard.
  • It’s not out of the question that Jabari Parker could become a trade chip for the Bucks if the right deal arises, says Kyler. League sources tell Basketball Insiders that the Bucks are “weighing where they are” with the former No. 2 overall pick, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. According to Kyler, Milwaukee continues to eye noteworthy bigs like DeAndre Jordan and Hassan Whiteside, dangling John Henson and some young players as potential bait.
  • In the wake of news that Damian Lillard met with Paul Allen last week, Kyler hears that the Trail Blazers owner has taken a “more hands-on approach” recently. That includes having top-level staff members gauge the general opinion around the NBA on president Neil Olshey and head coach Terry Stotts.
Retweet 6 Share 0 Send via email0

Evan Fournier Won’t Ask Magic For Trade

January 18th, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

Since starting the season with an 8-4 record, the Magic have dropped 27 of 32 games, and are now tied for the NBA’s worst record. Despite the team’s struggles, sharpshooter Evan Fournier tells Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel that he enjoys playing in Orlando and won’t ask the team to move him.

“Obviously, as a player you want to win,” Fournier said. “But I will never ask [for] a trade or anything. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m a fighter and I’m definitely not a quitter. I don’t know what they plan to do, but I’m a Magic. I feel like I belong here, and for as long as I’m going to be here, I’m going to fight for this jersey and this city, man. It’s that simple.”

Even if he doesn’t request a trade, Fournier is considered a candidate to be dealt before next month’s deadline, which is now just three weeks away. As we outlined on Wednesday when we identified several trade candidates in the Southeast, the 25-year-old has been the subject of several trade rumors already in 2018.

Marc Stein of the New York Times said this week that rival executives expect Orlando to actively shop him; Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders suggested last week that Fournier is the Magic player drawing the most trade interest from rival teams; and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier in January that the Pistons pursued a deal for the veteran swingman. For his part, Fournier is tuning those rumors out, as he tells Robbins.

“I’m not going to think about what’s going to happen or where I would enjoy playing or something, because it’s all speculation,” Fournier said. “That’s why I really don’t read this stuff: because you never know what’s going to happen. I got traded once and I had no idea. It really came out of nowhere. There were no rumors. There was nothing. And out of the blue I woke up one morning and I got traded. So I know this is just all talk. You really don’t know what’s going on upstairs [in front offices], so it really doesn’t matter, honestly.”

Fournier is enjoying a career year in Orlando so far this season, averaging 18.0 PPG with a .463/.396/.890 shooting line in 36 games (all starts). While that sort of production would appeal to many contenders, Fournier’s contract clouds his trade value. He’s owed $17MM annually through at least 2019/20, with a $17MM player option for 2020/21 — if he continues to improve, that’s not a bad price, but it’s a long-term commitment, and the cap number may be tricky for some teams to match in a trade.

Retweet 6 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts