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2024 Free Agents - Evan Fournier

Summary
After serving as a solid starting wing for a good chunk of his career, Fournier struggled to make a big impact since joining the Knicks in 2021, and he fell out of the rotation at times during the '22-'23 season. He hardly played at all in '23-'24, and was eventually traded to Detroit.

Fournier provides most of his value as a shooter. He can hit shots while on the move, and has off-the-dribble game, but isn't a primary creator or someone you can consistently rely on to create offense. Fournier has shot over 38% from three for his career. He has struggled over the past two seasons, only hitting 29%, which is concerning but also is on a small sample size. What is more concerning is that he has really struggled to finish at the rim over the past three seasons, which could suggest some athletic regression that may not bounce back. 

Defensively, Fournier is a below-average defender but not terrible. He's doesn't have the quickest lateral mobility, but gives solid effort and has good size for a wing. He doesn't rebound well, but gets steals at a decent rate. 

Fournier will be going into his age-32 season in '24-'25, so teams may be unwilling to give him long-term offers due to worries about age-related regression.
 
Cap Considerations
Fournier has a $19 million team option for 2024-2025, and if the Pistons decline that option he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $28.3 million cap hold and full Bird rights. As the Pistons are likely to be operating over the cap, and since his cap hold exceeds the starting salary he will get in free agency, his cap hold is not really relevant.

Depending on how close the Pistons are to the luxury tax after free agency, if Fournier is brought back by the Pistons on a multi-year contract they could benefit from frontloading his contract, as it could give them additional flexibility in the future.

For other teams, if Fournier demands a starting salary of more than the full $12.9 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him, unless a sign-and-trade is worked out. However, it's likely that Fournier could be had for the full MLE or slightly less, including possibly the $5.2 million Taxpayer MLE, which would make him available to every team. I also wouldn't rule out Fournier having to settle for the minimum, or at least being willing to take the minimum to go to the right situation.

Potential Teams: Mavericks, Bulls, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, 76ers

Predicted Contract: 2-year, $6.7 million (2nd year player option) with the Mavericks

Actual Contract: Overseas

Fournier did not seem to get any real NBA interest, and signed overseas in Greece, which mans his NBA career may be over.

Last updated: 9/2/2024

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