Evan Fournier Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Heat, Howard, Fournier

April 16th, 2017 at 8:40pm CST by Luke Adams

James Johnson and Dion Waiters were among the players that helped kick-start – and sustain – the Heat‘s 30-11 second half run, but both players are eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason. Johnson and Waiters combined to earn less than $7MM in 2016/17, and with both players in line for sizable raises, Heat owner Micky Arison seems ready to pay up to retain them. As Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald details, Arison published an Instagram photo this weekend that shows him posing with Johnson and Waiters. The caption? “The @miamiheat future looks very bright.”

Of course, an Instagram photo in April doesn’t mean that Johnson and Waiters are guaranteed to re-sign with the Heat in July. Team president Pat Riley will have a major role in that decision, and many teams with cap room could make things difficult for Miami.

Here are a few more notes from around the Southeast:

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at the Heat‘s roster from players one through 15, attempting to determine which guys the team will prioritize this summer. In Winderman’s view, Miami should try to re-sign Waiters, but Johnson should be the priority if the team has to decide between the two.
Hawks center Dwight Howard, who was previously represented by Perry Rogers, has signed with ASM Sports and will be repped by agent Andy Miller going forward, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Howard remains under contract with Atlanta for two more years after this season, so he won’t be signing a new deal anytime soon.
Hornets forward Nicolas Batum has already said he won’t play for France in this year’s Eurobasket tournament, but Magic guard Evan Fournier hasn’t ruled out the possibility. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes, Fournier told L’Equipe this week that, while he’s not retiring internationally, he’ll visit a wrist specialist soon and will make a decision on his summer after that.

Jodie Meeks Out Indefinitely With Thumb Injury

January 25th, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 25: After the Magic conducted a follow-up exam on Meeks’ injury, the team determined that surgery was necessary, according to a press release. GM Rob Hennigan announced that Meeks underwent that procedure on Tuesday and will be sidelined indefinitely — his return will depend on how he responds to rehab, per the team.

JANUARY 19: Magic shooting guard Jodie Meeks will be out an estimated 4-to-6 weeks after an MRI revealed two sprained ligaments in his right thumb, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. He will not need surgery, Robbins adds.

Meeks suffered the injury in a 118-98 loss to the Pelicans on Wednesday.

This is another injury setback for Meeks, who has been sidelined by a variety of ailments in recent seasons. Signed by the Pistons to a three-year, $18.8MM contract prior to the 2014/15 season, Meeks missed the first 22 games of that campaign because of a back injury. Last season, he fractured his right foot in the second game of the season and wound up making just one appearance the rest of the way.

The Magic acquired Meeks in June for a conditional second-round pick. He underwent foot surgery the following month, delaying his Magic debut until December 2nd.

Meeks, who earned nine starts in recent weeks, is averaging 8.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24 games. He has given Orlando a boost on the perimeter, making 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. Meeks is one of the league’s premier spot-up shooters when healthy, as his 37.5% career average from long range attests.

Orlando’s other top option at shooting guard, Evan Fournier, is dealing with heel and foot issues. Meeks’ injury could lead to additional playing time for 2015 lottery pick Mario Hezonja. C.J. Wilcox could also be in the mix.

Magic Notes: Fournier, Hardaway, Gordon

January 22nd, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Austin Kent

Fifth-year guard Evan Fournier has spent the past week and a half recovering from a foot injury that he believes he may have made worse by attempting to rush back too early, writes John Denton of the Magic’s official website.

“It’s a fine line and [Fournier’s desire to return] probably does work against him,” Magic head coach Frank Vogel said. “We want this to be put behind him. We don’t want him to play a couple and then have to sit another two weeks, play a couple and have to sit. Hopefully when we get him back this time it’s behind him.”

In 36 games for the Magic, Fournier has led the team in scoring with 17.0 points per game. Over the summer, Fournier signed a five-year, $85MM deal.

There’s more out of Orlando:

After signing a 10-day contract with the Magic, Anthony Brown expects to bring energy and floor spacing to the frontcourt heavy roster. Brown spoke with Basketball Insiders on Sunday.
Former Magic star Penny Hardaway wishes he never left Orlando, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Hardaway was honored by the team on Friday night and inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame. “Every time I watch the footage, man, I just get tears in my eyes because there’s always that what if if we would have all stayed together,” Hardaway said. Earlier this month the trade that sent Penny Hardaway to the Suns was featured in Hoops Rumors Retro piece.
The Magic added frontcourt help over the summer that significantly impacted Aaron Gordon, writes Dylan Hughes of 16 Wins A Ring, but the third-year forward has thrived this year at small forward. Hughes cites Gordon’s improved three-point shot as one of the biggest reasons he’s been able to play well out of position, but says that the dunk contest runner-up would benefit from being able to play his own position as Jabari Parker has with the Bucks.

Southeast Notes: Payton, Fournier, Waiters, White

December 26th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic point guard Elfrid Payton may have played well enough to win his starting job back, according to John Denton of NBA.com. Payton was among three players demoted when coach Frank Vogel changed the starting lineup November 27th. But Payton has raised his scoring average, assist totals and shooting percentages since the move, and Vogel is thinking about making him a starter again. “He’s competing and it’s my job to figure out if it’s best to keep him where he is and where he’s having success or to move him back in the starting lineup,’’ Vogel said. “I’m sure that we’ll probably look at that [starting him] at some point. I’d like to see him do this over a consistent stretch and I still might keep him where he is because he’s having success there. It’s just one of the things that I’m monitoring game to game.’’

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic have been without leading scorer Evan Fournier since Thursday because of a bruised right heel, Denton notes in the same story. Fournier has been trying ice, massages and stimulation to ease the pain on the heel, but he was forced to miss another game tonight. “It’s definitely getting better, but one of the bad things about the NBA is that when you have so many games and it takes a week or so, in that time you have three games,’’ he said.
Heat guard Dion Waiters may find his playing time limited when he returns from a groin injury, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Waiters’ isolation game was useful when the team was shorthanded, but Winderman states that ball movement is now being emphasized and the development of Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson at the wing spots is key to the team’s future. Waiters is considered very likely to opt out of the second season of his contract, and Winderman believes Miami may trade him before he can make that decision.
The Heat should consider unloading Luke Babbitt or Derrick Williams to make room for a younger prospect at power forward, Winderman suggests in the same piece. One possibility is Okaro White, who was cut by Miami in training camp and currently plays for the team’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls.

Players With Incentive Bonuses For 2016/17

November 7th, 2016 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

According to Bobby Marks of The Vertical, there are 33 players around the NBA who can potentially earn incentive bonuses this season based on their own durability or performance, or based on how their team performs. Although Marks doesn’t identify all 33 players who have incentives included in their 2016/17 contracts, he discusses over half of them, passing along a number of interesting tidbits about those potential bonuses. Here are some of the highlights:

Minutes/games played bonuses:

NBA bonuses are deemed either “likely” or “unlikely,” using the previous season’s statistics as a benchmark, so if a player didn’t appear in many games during the previous year, a team can include a games-played benchmark and call it an unlikely incentive. For instance, John Henson‘s contract with the Bucks features incentives if he plays 60 games or 75 games this season. He appeared in just 57 contests in 2015/16, so neither of those marks is viewed as likely.

Miles Plumlee (Bucks), Luis Scola (Nets), Greivis Vasquez (Nets), and Deron Williams (Mavericks) are among the other players who have incentives in their deals for games played or started.

Individual statistic bonuses:

The Trail Blazers got creative with Maurice Harkless‘ new contract this summer, including an incentive bonus in the deal that can be triggered based if he keeps his three-point percentage above a certain level. Jeremy Lin, meanwhile, not only has a three-point percentage incentive, but also has bonuses linked to assists, turnovers, and threes and free throws attempted per 36 minutes.

Individual achievement bonuses:

Players like Bismack Biyombo (Magic), Evan Fournier (Magic), and Will Barton (Nuggets) have incentives related to their individual performances as well, but they’re related to awards and honors, rather than raw statistics. Biyombo gets a bonus if he makes the NBA’s All-Defensive team, Fournier gets some extra money for an All-Star appearance, and Barton would get $250K if he wins the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Of course, some of these incentives are more realistic than others. For instance, Thaddeus Young (Pacers) probably shouldn’t be counting on the $500K incentive bonus that he’d earn if he wins the league’s MVP award.

Team performance bonuses:

Several players, including Fournier, Jon Leuer (Pistons), and Joe Ingles (Jazz) have bonuses related to their teams making the playoffs. Many of those postseason incentives are tied to another condition. For example, for Taj Gibson to earn his bonus from the Bulls, he must appear in at least 60 games, play in at least 75% of Chicago’s playoff games, and average 25 or more minutes per game during the regular season.

Some players also have incentives linked to their teams’ win total, and once again, some are more attainable than others. For example, Nikola Mirotic could earn an extra $800K, but he’d need the Bulls to win 65+ games, so there’s a good chance his shot at that bonus will disappear about halfway through the season.

Be sure to check out the full breakdown from Marks for many more details on players who could earn incentive bonuses in 2016/17.

Eastern Notes: Fournier, Noah, Johnson

November 4th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When the Knicks and the Bulls square off tonight, it will mark the first time Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose will play in Chicago since departing the franchise over the summer. Both players have expressed their happiness to be in New York this season and Noah agreed with his former team’s decision to break up its longtime core, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays. “I think it was time for change,” Noah said. “There’s no question about that. It seems like this is a happy group, enjoy being around one another. That’s good. That’s what it’s all about, that’s how it should be.”

The center touched upon the 2015/16 season, which was a frustrating one for the player all around, Begley adds. “I look back on it, I was definitely frustrated,” Noah said. “There was definitely a lot of adversity going on there. I can look back at it and see where things went wrong. It’s not about blaming one person. Everybody in that locker room is good people. It’s just [expletive] happens. It’s a locker room. At the end of the day the things I remember the most are good memories from everybody. I have no hard feelings towards anybody.”

Here’s more from the East:

Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith noted that during his prolonged free agency this offseason he played a round of golf with Celtics executive Danny Ainge, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays. Despite Boston having interest in potentially signing the veteran scorer, Smith said their chatter was mostly golf-related, Forberg adds. “We talked about [Smith’s free-agent status], but mainly we kept it to golf and stuff like that,” Smith said. “I told him I would let my agent handle all of that stuff. So it was great to play golf with him.” Boston ultimately signed Gerald Green to a one-year, minimum salary deal to fill out the team’s wing rotation.
Evan Fournier, who signed a five-year, $85MM deal this summer to remain with the Magic, says the contract isn’t making him feel added pressure to perform this season, notes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. “When I start the game, I’m not like, ‘If I don’t score 25, we’re not going to win the game.’ I want to be aggressive, of course, because when I’m aggressive and can create a little more. It’s good for the team,” Fournier told the scribe. “The contract didn’t change anything. The biggest difference is playing the 2 [shooting guard] and not the 3 [small forward]. That’s the biggest difference.”
Second-year player Stanley Johnson is struggling thus far this campaign and the Pistons‘ coaching staff is trying to position the swingman to adapt to being an all-around player with one strength first — then progressing to other areas, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “He has been a primary scorer his whole life and it’s tough for him to not play that way,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “Right now, that’s not the best way to play. I’m not trying to hold the guy back or limit him. What I’ve tried to point out to him is his development. The guy I’ve tried to use as an example with him who came in the league the same way is Jimmy Butler.”

Magic Notes: Fournier, Biyombo, Ibaka

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:01am CST by ChrisCrouse

Evan Fournier has been one of the best players in training camp so far and the Magic are expecting big things from their $85MM investment, John Denton of NBA.com writes. Fournier should see an expanded role this season as a result of the Victor Oladipo trade and the 23-year-old is ecstatic about the opportunity. “You can’t ask for more as a player,’’ Fournier said.

Here’s more from Orlando:

The Magic are impressed with Bismack Biyombo so far in camp and Frank Vogel expects the big man to take a leadership role on the team, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relays. Biyombo signed a four year, $68MM deal with the Magic during the offseason.
The addition of Biyombo, along with the presence of Serge Ibaka, will allow the Magic’s perimeter players to have more confidence guarding opposing wings, Robbins adds in the same piece. “We haven’t had that many shot-blockers on our team in a long time,” Fournier said. “It’s a great feeling, man.”
The arrival of Ibaka and Biyombo creates a logjam in the team’s frontcourt and Vogel believes the competition will bring out the best in the big men, Robbins writes in a separate piece. “Everybody on our team has to be selfless when it comes to position battles and minutes and all that stuff,” Vogel said. “Our guys are selfless. We talk about that, but it’s really about pushing each other and pulling for each other. At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team. We’re pushing in the same direction.”

Magic Re-Sign Evan Fournier

July 7th, 2016 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7, 1:25pm: The Magic have now confirmed all their previously-reported free agent signings, wrapping up their series of announcements by tweeting that they’ve re-signed Fournier.

JULY 1, 3:19pm: Fournier’s new contract will include a player option in the fifth year that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

2:27pm: The Magic have reached an agreement with restricted free agent Evan Fournier on a five-year contract that will be worth about $85MM, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (via Twitter). Both sides had been interested in finding common ground on an extension, with Fournier indicating as free agency opened that he wasn’t sure if he’d even take any meetings with rival suitors.

Fournier, 23, enjoyed a breakout season for the Magic in 2015/16, starting a career-high 71 of 79 games for the team and establishing new career-best marks in several other categories as well, including PPG (15.4), APG (2.7), RPG (2.8), and 3P (2.0). He also had a very solid shooting line of .462/.400/.836.

With his rookie contract having expired, Fournier received a qualifying offer from the Magic earlier this week, making him a restricted free agent and giving the team the right of first refusal. Given the numbers we’ve seen on many of the early free agent agreements today, it seems possible that Fournier could’ve found a maximum-salary offer sheet – which would have been worth closer to $95MM over four years – from another team. Instead, he’ll take slightly less than that to remain with the Magic on a five-year pact.

Since sending Victor Oladipo to the Thunder as part of the trade package that landed Serge Ibaka in Orlando, the Magic have been very active in fortifying their backcourt. The club acquired Jodie Meeks in a trade with the Pistons, then agreed to sign D.J. Augustin earlier today, before reaching an extension agreement with Fournier.

Fournier ranked 14th on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Rumors: Butler, James, Jack, Wall

June 30th, 2016 at 10:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said he expected his partnership with Derrick Rose to be broken up, relays Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. It happened last week when Rose was shipped to the Knicks in exchange for three players. “I can’t say that I was surprised, but I knew that it had to be one of us, to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “Obviously, I enjoyed playing with him. I came into the league when he was the MVP. I’ve got so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him and I wish him the best moving forward.” Butler, who was the focus of draft night trade rumors involving the Celtics and Timberwolves, said he’s not certain he will still be with Chicago when the season opens.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

The NBA’s “over 36 rule” is behind LeBron James‘ decision to decline his player option, explains Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James would be subject to that rule if he signs a two-year deal just as he did last summer with the intention of opting out after one season. For players who have turned 36, their final annual salary in a four- or five-year contract is counted proportionally against the team’s cap each season. The rule was adopted to discourage teams from giving long-term contracts to players who are unlikely to be in the league for the entirety of them. The rule prohibits James from accepting a five-year, $200MM contract from the Cavaliers after this offseason because the pro-rated part would put him above the maximum salary. However, Zillgitt points out that the rule could be amended if the players or the league opts out of the current collective bargaining agreement in December.
The Cavaliers aren’t concerned about losing their stars, but they have decisions to make on six free agents, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland will have to determine how many years it wants to commit to J.R. Smith and whether it wants to outbid competitors to keep Matthew Dellavedova. Also, Richard Jefferson and James Jones have to decide if they want to play another season at the veterans minimum.
The Nets stretched the $500K in guaranteed salary owed to point guard Jarrett Jack when they waived him earlier today, tweets NetsDaily. The move will save the team $333,333 in cap space this offseason.
John Wall wants to see the Wizards adopt an aggressive attitude toward free agency, tweets Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post. “The organization’s got to be willing to step up to the plate and get what needs to be done, done,” Wall said.
The Pistons would like to add two more big men this offseason, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said starting power forward Tobias Harris doesn’t really fit that description, and he wants to be sure the team isn’t short on size next year. “I think I wouldn’t be comfortable going with fewer than five, so we’ve got to go out and get two bigs – four, five, whatever,” Van Gundy said. “We need two bigger guys, even though Marcus [Morris] and Tobias will play there a lot. You just get into certain matchups.”
The performance of second-round pick Michael Gbinije in summer league will help determine the fate of Phil Pressey, Langlois writes in the same piece. Pressey is also on the Pistons‘ summer league roster, but his chances at winning a backup point guard spot for next season will decrease if Gbinije shows he can handle the position.
A stress fracture in his lower back will sideline Detroit’s Darrun Hilliard for the summer league and possibly longer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A 6’6″ reserve guard, Hilliard played in 38 games last summer and was projected to have a significant role on the Pistons‘ summer league team. “I just thought my back was tight and I just thought that I wasn’t stretching enough,” he said. “I was stretching and stretching and stretching, thinking it would get better and it never got better.”
Free agent swingman Evan Fournier said he wants to stay with the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Fournier, whose role likely increased with last week’s trade of Victor Oladipo to the Thunder, said he isn’t sure if his agent lined up meetings with any other teams. “Obviously, our priority is the Magic,” Fournier said. “I’ve said it many times: I feel great here.”

Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Batum, Mozgov, Lee

June 30th, 2016 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

With July less than 10 hours away, free agent rumors around the NBA are heating up. Let’s dive right in and round up the latest…

With a Chandler Parsons departure appearing increasingly likely, the Mavericks are expected to meet with Nicolas Batum once free agency begins, according to Tim MacMahon and Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. Dallas’ ideal outcome in free agency would be to land Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, which wouldn’t leave cap room for Batum. But the team is doing its homework and is prepared to quickly move on to Plan B if Conley and/or Whiteside decide not to sign with Dallas.
The Rockets, Heat, Warriors, and Spurs are among the teams with interest in Timofey Mozgov, joining the Cavaliers and Knicks, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports adds (via Twitter) that the Lakers also could be in play for Mozgov, depending on how free agency plays out.
We can add the Magic to the list of teams that will express interest in Eric Gordon, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who clarifies that Orlando still remains very invested in re-signing Evan Fournier (Twitter links). Earlier today, a report indicated that Houston, Memphis, New York, and New Orleans are eyeing Gordon.
There are increasing indications that coveted free agent wing Kent Bazemore won’t begin holding meetings for interested teams until after July 4th, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter).
The Knicks have some level of interest in pending free agent Courtney Lee, according to Stein and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. New York appears to be focusing its efforts on adding a big man – possibly Joakim Noah – and a wing in free agency.
According to Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com, Evan Turner has expressed interest in about six NBA teams, including the Lakers and Celtics. It’s not clear whether Turner’s interest is reciprocated in each of those instances.