Former Knicks Guard Turned Down Offer From Rival

Former New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier made his exit from the NBA earlier this week, signing with Olympiacos B.C. in Greece.

However, before Fournier made his return to his native Europe, he reportedly had an offer from another Eastern Conference rival.

According to L’Equipe reporter Maxime Aubin, Fournier had a two-year deal on the table from the Washington Wizards. However, Fournier turned them down, citing that he didn’t want to be “in a mentoring role” for a “losing team.”

Last year, Fournier was with the Knicks at the beginning of the year. However, he was on the outside looking in of coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. Days before the trade deadline, Fournier was sent to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that brought Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the Knicks.

Fournier played in 29 games for the Pistons in the home stretch of the season, but Detroit had the league’s worst record with just 14 wins on the year.

In the Paris Olympics, Fournier was a key contributor for France as they captured a silver medal in the tournament. The showcase proved that Fournier could still compete at a very high level, even if it wasn’t in the NBA.

As he goes to Olympiacos, Fournier will have a chance to be part of a competitive group of players that includes several NBA alumni, but none of whom have had a career as successful as the former Knick.

A return to the NBA isn’t totally out of the cards for Fournier, but it’s clear that he is seeking and chasing happiness at this point in his basketball journey, and based on his words, he likely won’t find that again stateside.

Fournier’s potential debut for Olympiacos could come against Turkish club Fenerbahce in EuroLeague action on Friday, Oct. 4.

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