A 12-year NBA veteran who has played for the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets recently decided that being competitive in Europe would be far more enjoyable than playing for the Washington Wizards next season.
If not for the Detroit Pistons having a historically awful season in 2023-24, the Wizards would have gotten even more attention for how bad they were. The team won just 15 games. Which was only one more than the Pistons, and the lowest win total for a franchise that dates back to 1961.
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Obviously, the goal in the offseason was to get better. The organization is hoping the addition of veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, underrated point guard Malcolm Brogdon, and second-overall draft pick Alex Sarr can make a big difference next season. However, that still wasn’t enough to convince a former Knicks and Magic impact player to accept a contract recently.
Knicks and Magic veteran surprisingly turns down Wizards contract to play in Europe
On Wednesday, French sports journalist Maxime Aubin reported that Evan Fournier told him “he was offered a two-year contract with the Wizards, but he wasn’t interested in a ‘mentoring role’ with youngsters ‘on a losing team.'”
The former Magic star also told Aubin he would rather “compete” in Europe and “enjoy playing basketball again.” As opposed to another long losing year after being on last season’s disastrous Pistons team.
It is quite a bold take for a player who hasn’t played more than 20 minutes per game for the Pistons or Knicks over the last two years. The Frenchman’s stint in Detroit was likely more than enough to pass on suffering threw a similar situation. Even if it means getting paid far more than he might get playing in Europe.
At his peak, Fournier was a star player for the Magic between 2016 and 2021. Averaging 17 or more points per game in almost all of those seasons. However, due to his defensive deficiencies, he has been limited to a bench role in recent seasons. He was a major part of France’s run to the gold medal game in this year’s Olympics.