Evan Fournier shares blunt admission why he refused 2-year Wizards offer
09/04/2024 11:25 PM
Losing teams often relegate players on the wrong side of 30 to the bench as mentors to the young guns tasked to carry the franchise back to relevance. Despite reduced playing time, many players accept this role and thrive in their new capacities as glue guys and locker room vets. Not Evan Fournier, though, who turned down a two-year contract from the Washington Wizards and signed a deal to play with Olympiacos in Europe instead.
In a recent report, the Frenchman explained that he didn’t want to play the mentor role to the young Wizards players, and he also didn’t want to play for a bottom-feeding team. He also said he still wants to compete at a high level, hence his choice to stay in Europe, according to Maxine Aubin of L’Équipe, via Bleacher Report.
The Wizards came calling
You can’t really fault Evan Fournier’s decision to play in Europe over the Wizards, though. At 31 years old, he’s still relatively young for a pro basketball player, and he can still play at a high level. For instance, he was one of the best players on Team France who won silver at the 2024 Olympics, averaging 9.8 points as the team’s third-leading scorer.
Fournier has also had a respectable 12-year NBA career, playing for various teams like the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, and the New York Knicks. Moreover, he averaged 13.6 points on 44.1% shooting, becoming a valuable role player who can run some offense and shoot the ball.
His best years were his tenure with the Orlando Magic, where he averaged 16.2 points and 3.0 assists for a team adjusting to life after Dwight Howard. Then, Fournier also played for a contender in the Celtics, who then traded him to the Knicks, where he eventually fell out of the rotation.
After another trade to the cellar-dwelling Detroit Pistons, Fournier signed a two-year deal with Olympiacos in the offseason.
What’s next in DC?
It’s tough for a team when not even capable role players want to play for you, but that’s life for the Wizards in the past two seasons. Wisely, though, the Wiz decided to cut their losses last season and go younger, trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics, and getting Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors’ scoring guard also needed a reset after a disappointing season that began in training camp, when Draymond Green punched Poole in the face, destroying team chemistry right after a championship season. With Poole and Kyle Kuzma at the helm, the Wizards skidded to a 15-67 record, one win better than the Detroit Pistons’ 14-68.
While it’s hard to tell when the Wizards might become relevant again, it’s safe to say it’s not going to happen in the immediate future. If you were Evan Fournier, would you have made the same choice?
The post Evan Fournier shares blunt admission why he refused 2-year Wizards offer appeared first on ClutchPoints.
