Evan Fournier put up numbers during the Paris Olympics — 9.8 points a game, third highest on the silver medal team, plus 2.2 assists a game — and was one of the team’s better shot creators on the perimeter. He also was inefficient, shooting 32.4% from 3 and 36.8% inside the arc.
That was not enough to entice an NBA team to sign the 31-year-old NBA veteran to a guaranteed contract, so he is headed to European power Olympiacos in Greece, a story broken by Aris Barkas of EuroHoops and confirmed by Shams Charania of The Athletic (among others).
Evan Fournier has informed Olympiacos that he is accepting their offer. The two sides are finalizing the exchange of paperwork making the deal official for a three-year contract.
Fournier is returning to Europe after a decade for the Reds
More at @Eurohoopsnet and @EurohoopsGR
— Aris Barkas (@arbarkas) September 2, 2024
Fournier averaged 13.6 points, shooting 37.4% from 3 throughout his 12-year NBA career, and he had some huge moments (dropping 41 on the Celtics in 2022 comes to mind, some strong play in Orlando back in the day). However, in recent years he had struggled to get off Tom Thibodeau’s bench in New York (the Knicks held onto him, hoping his contract could be used in a big trade). Last season he was finally traded to the Pistons (with Quentin Grimes coming to the Knicks) and in the final 29 games he averaged 7.2 points a game in almost 19 minutes a night, but shot 27% from 3.
Fournier had a solid NBA career but it had run its course. He will be a star in the Euroleague and can continue making money on the continent for years.