Former Knicks sharpshooter Evan Fournier signs contract to play in Europe

Longtime NBA shooting guard Evan Fournier has found a new home for the upcoming 2024-25 season, and it’s not with an NBA team.

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Fournier has decided to take his talent to the EuroLeague and has signed a two-year contract worth over $4 million with Greek EuroLeague team Olympiacos. Shams Charania shared the news via Twitter/X.

In July, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that “of course there is also talk of interest from the EuroLeague” in Fournier and that they “expect that this will also arouse some interest from the NBA.”

After 12 seasons in the NBA, the 31-year-old will take his talent back overseas, where he began his professional career. Fournier played a crucial role on his five NBA teams from 2012 to 2024.

Over the course of his 12-year career, Fournier has averaged 13.6 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.4 percent from three-point range, along with 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 704 career games with the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.

Fournier was previously selected in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft. The Nuggets selected him with the No. 20 pick. He played two seasons in the Mile High City, where he averaged 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 114 games.

After his brief stint with the Nuggets, Fournier was traded to the Orlando Magic along with the draft rights to Devyn Marble in exchange for Arron Afflalo. He spent the next seven seasons in Central Florida, where he played some of his best basketball, averaging 16.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Fournier finished in the top 15 in the 2015-16 season as the most improved player.

After the 2021 season, Fournier moved between Boston, New York and the Pistons, where he spent the second half of the 2024 season.

Most recently, the 31-year-old represented his native France at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, helping the team to its second consecutive gold medal win against the USA. He and France took the silver medal, but Fournier put in a brave performance throughout the tournament, averaging just under 10 points.

The decision to join a EuroLeague club is likely due to Fournier’s role in the NBA becoming less and less over the years. He believes he can still do more at 31 and has openly expressed his frustration. In his last NBA stint in Detroit, he averaged 7.2 points in 18.7 minutes of play despite coming off the bench in 29 games.

Now that he is in Europe, all that should change and his role should be more significant – just as he wants it.

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