The New York Knicks will have many changes this offseason, especially after another early playoff exit. They entered the postseason with high expectations and actually won a series, but the Miami Heat stopped them in the second round.
Now, they’re looking for answers, like every season, while one of their players is doing the same. Evan Fournier was removed from the rotation earlier in the season, and he’s now ready to face a new challenge in the league.
Talking about his time with the Knicks, he made it clear he’s ready to move on and find a new team.
“You know I’m not gonna be back,” Fournier said. “There’s no way they’re gonna keep me. I would be very surprised if they do. So, we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands though.”
Fournier only appeared when the team was short-staffed and at the end of the season, but he wasn’t an important player in the eyes of Tom Thibodeau.
“I mean, wouldn’t you guys be surprised [if I came back?],” Fournier added. “Eleven years in, big contract, they’re obviously trying to develop the young guys. I didn’t play this year, so why would you bring me back?”
The Frenchman explained that this situation was anything but easy for him, but he learned how to deal with all of this throughout the season.
“My season has been over for a very long time, actually,” Fournier said after the Knicks were eliminated by the Heat in Friday’s Game 6. “This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago. It took me a good month to understand that. At first, I was like, just be patient in seeing how the team developed. Obviously, there are gonna be changes and I’m gonna get traded.
“At first, it’s frustrating because you love the game so much. You’re home. You’re upset. Etcetera, etcetera. And I’ve got two kids at home. I don’t wanna live like this. So, I was just trying to focus on the work, focus on not wasting my time. Get my legs straight and work on my skills. Basically, not waste myself, so that was my whole mentality.”
It’s not easy when you come from being one of the best players on the Magic to embracing a minor role on the Celtics and then being removed from the rotation on the Knicks.
Fournier is now looking for revenge, and he’s anticipating an offseason trade after his failed tenure with the Knicks. He had the same fate as Kemba Walker and now is set to leave this team for good.
New York Knicks Lost To Miami Heat In The Playoffs
Meanwhile, the Knicks couldn’t get past the Miami Heat and lost the series in six games. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are under fire after their performance, with Stephen A. Smith asking for them to be traded.
Jalen Brunson was on a solo mission, but he didn’t make the right decisions down the stretch, leaving his team helpless against the inspired Heat. Perhaps Fournier could have given them something different, but now is too late to say anything.
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