Now in his seventh year with the Orlando Magic, Evan Fournier’s importance to the team has not dwindled. Evan Fournier is still putting up big scoring numbers — a career-best 18.5 points per game and a 54.3-percent effective field goal percentage — and offers reliable perimeter shooting on a roster that lacks it so much.
But having entered the last year of his contract, the time is approaching for the front office to decide whether to move him on and get something back before he enters unrestricted free agency.
This will depend on what the team’s goals are. With a tough second-half schedule and a roster which has been decimated by injuries, hopes of a playoff spot are slipping away. Orlando is better off looking toward the future than trying to stay in the fight for a play-in spot.
Trading Fournier would be a big part of the team changing its goals.
The Orlando Magic will be weighing a lot as the trade deadline approaches in three weeks. Trading Evan Fournier and getting some return that makes sense is at the top of the priority list.
His ability to score and create from the perimeter has been a big part of why the Magic are not rock bottom of the Eastern Conference. That and the fact the Detroit Pistons are all-in on development and the future.
The fact Fournier has missed a lot of the season with back spasms has played a part in why the results have been so poor. When Fournier is on the court, this Orlando team is far better. The burden is taken off Nikola Vucevic somewhat, though not completely, and opposing defenses have more to worry about.
But the Magic risk losing him for nothing should he stay until the end of the season. At 28, Fournier still has much of his career ahead of him and would slot in well to a team looking to make a run in the postseason.
This is why Orlando should look to move him before the deadline passes. While a deal to get back equal value is unlikely to be reached, getting back something for the future as the team tries to build around Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac must be a priority.
Here are three destinations that make sense for an Evan Fournier deal:
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have enjoyed an incredible season so far. Ben Simmons is playing the best basketball of his career, Joel Embiid is arguably the favorite to win the MVP award and better floor spacing under Doc Rivers has helped establish the team as legitimate title candidates.
But there is always room for improvement. The 76ers have enough to make a title run but adding more shooting and offensive potency can strengthen the team’s chances further.
Philadelphia 76ers
For a team that sits atop the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia only sits 14th in the rankings for offensive rating with 111.5 points per 100 possessions. Much of the success so far has been built on solid defense thanks to the likes of Simmons and Embiid. But adding more offensive talent should be a focus before the deadline.
This is where Evan Fournier comes in. Fournier is averaging 18.5 points per game this season and would essentially act as a third scorer behind Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris on a team that also has offensive threats in Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. He could step straight into the small forward spot vacated by Danny Green, providing better scoring while being able to defend the perimeter well enough.
His ability to knock down threes, shoot off the dribble and make plays from the perimeter would be perfect for this 76ers team.
Green has played his role well so far and would probably not be thrilled at being sent down to an Orlando team that has little hope of making the playoffs but he too is an expiring contract. He could even get bought out to rejoin a contending team elsewhere (although the Magic would then have a major hole at shooting guard).
This just leaves the issue of what else the Magic can get.
Evan Fournier is an immediate upgrade on Danny Green but might not be enough for the 76ers to give up a prospect like Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle.
There might be an opportunity to work out a deal involving some of the Magic’s other players to get one of these two. But for now, obtaining a 2021 first-round pick seems like a realistic target. The 76ers are fully focused on winning a championship and will receive one of the last first-round picks this year so could be tempted to give it up for the chance to strengthen the team in the short-term.
This is not exactly an eye-watering trade from the Magic’s perspective but there’s always the chance of uncovering a decent player low in the first round. Just as Rudy Gobert showed.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have not exactly matched expectations this year.
After making the Westen Conference Finals last season, the team ranks only seventh in the conference and has been largely up and down this year.
Like the Philadelphia 76ers, they have an All-Star center and MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic who is playing incredible basketball. As the deadline gets nearer, Denver may be tempted to move some pieces around in an attempt to build a better team around Jokic even if that means sacrificing a small part of its future.
Gary Harris has struggled with injury this year and for the last several years — he has played 60 games in just two seasons in his career. He has not been able to get back to the form he showed in that 2018 season when he averaged 17.5 points per game.
He is still currently sidelined with a left thigh strain. In the 19 games he has played, Harris has averaged 9.7 points per game on a 51.9-percent effective field goal percentage in 30.6 minutes per game.
Taking on Harris, who has shown little sign of getting back to his best and has next season left on his deal at $20.5 million, is not an enticing prospect for the Magic. It is the other parts of the deal that could allow an agreement to be reached.
Denver Nuggets
Much of Denver’s struggles this season have been on defense. The team gives up 111.6 points per 100 possessions which ranks them 17th for defensive rating. Fournier is a decent perimeter defender with the size to guard bigger wings and would also provide more of an offensive threat than Harris.
But what is in it for the Magic?
Looking to acquire a player for the future would be a wise move in a Fournier trade. R.J. Hampton could be that.
His game time has been limited this season but the guard possesses incredible speed and athleticism as well as potential defensively, all of which fit the philosophy head coach Steve Clifford is trying to build around.
There are no guarantees Hampton will turn out to be as good as Fournier has been for Orlando, but it is a risk worth taking. It is, after all, the same risk the Magic took when they traded the productive Arron Afflalo for a little-used rookie in Evan Fournier.
Hampton, the 24th pick in last year’s draft, has shown enough glimpses of promise on the court, while Denver would be getting a player that can help more in the short-term along with someone who can help to protect the rim, grab rebounds and help on defense in Khem Birch.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are another team that has endured an underwhelming season to date.
Something that connects each team mentioned in this article is that they all have a star player without the supporting cast. Luka Doncic and the Mavs are no different.
Doncic has been superb, dazzling defenses with his ability to make the toughest of shots and most difficult of passes. The team, however, simply has not had the necessary players to play its system well.
The Mavericks rely on spacing and 3-point shooting, taking the ninth most 3-pointers per game in the NBA at 37.4. When it comes to percentage though, Dallas is shooting just 35.4-percent. That is not much better than the Magic.
If Rick Carlisle’s team is going to play that way and he wants to make the playoffs this season, an upgrade is needed.
Dallas Mavericks
Evan Fournier might only be shooting 37.1-percent from three this season but his campaign so far has been heavily disrupted by injury. Last year’s 39.9-percent 3-point percentage is more telling of his reliability from deep. He is a career 37.5-percent 3-point shooter.
Putting Fournier alongside a playmaker like Doncic who has the IQ to pick out open shooters on the floor could make all the difference. Shooting weaknesses have been one of, if not the biggest, reasons for Dallas underperforming this year. Acquiring better shooting can only help the team.
Fournier may not necessarily provide a long-term solution given the amount of time left on his contract but it opens up the possibility of the team keeping him for longer if it does work out.
Josh Richardson has really struggled shooting from deep this season, knocking down just 29.8-percent of his 5.2 attempts per game. It is by far the worst mark of his career.
There were high hopes for Richardson when he arrived in Dallas but it has not really worked out for him so far. The team might not be ready to give up on him just yet and he has proven himself as a good defender over the course of his career but when it comes to a playoff push this season, Fournier can offer more help.
Orlando has long struggled with shooting weaknesses so Richardson does not exactly help that, but he would nonetheless be a decent player to get back off an expiring contract. The Magic should also push for a young talent and Tyrell Terry jumps out as a viable option.
The rookie has rarely played this season and has struggled when he has. The former Stanford Cardinal shot extremely well in college, however, suggesting there is more to his game should he be able to adapt to the NBA. In the G-League bubble, Terry is averaging 15.6 points per game and is shooting 35.3-percent from the floor.
Like Hampton, Terry would be worth trying to develop.
Ultimately, the Magic will not get back someone who can immediately score and create from the perimeter as Fournier can. Any move will be orientated toward the future and patience will be required if Orlando does say goodbye to its veteran wing.