Fournier still wants a trade: ‘Held hostage’
As training camp nears, Evan Fournier’s tone has somewhat shifted.
The veteran guard went from expecting a change of address to merely hoping for one, even suggesting he felt like was being “held hostage,” Fournier said in an interview with French radio station RTL.
“I’m still in New York at the moment,” Fournier said. “I want to leave. But beyond leaving, I want to have the opportunity to get some playing time back. That’s all. That’s mostly it. Because in New York, I feel extremely good. I love living there, I love the franchise, I love playing at Madison [Square Garden], I love the guys on the team.
“So I just want to play, that’s all. It’s true that finding another club, changing franchises, if that’s what you have to do to play again, that’s what I would like to do.”
Fournier was out of the Knicks’ rotation by late November last season after beginning the year as a starter and only played meaningful minutes due to injury from that point on.
He was a good soldier until the season wrapped up.
After the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in the second round of the playoffs, Fournier told reporters he expected to be gone and detailed the frustrating season in which he became an expensive cheerleader.
But the Knicks have yet to move him, mostly because his expiring $18.9 million contract is a valuable trade chip to match contracts if the right deal comes along.
That hasn’t happened yet. Media day is Monday followed by the start of camp and Fournier remains a Knick.
“If I knew, for example, that the coach was going to give me 10-15 minutes here and there, I know that I could make the most of it and grab minutes gradually and perform well,” the 30-year-old Fournier said. “But that’s not even the case. I don’t have the opportunity to play and even worse, I feel like I’m being held hostage. I hope this situation will resolve itself and I especially hope that the Knicks will give me a chance.”