Boston Celtics: DK projects $50 million over 2 years for Evan Fournier from NYK

With the Boston Celtics added wing depth through the trade market, it now seems less likely the team would be preparing to offer Evan Fournier a massive deal of any kind in free agency.

The acquisition of Josh Richardson could signal the end of Fournier’s time in green, considering his similar scoring, rebound, and assist totals at a fraction of what the Frenchman could end up costing at the conclusion of his free agency foray.

Kris Dunn being acquired shortly before the Richardson-Moses Brown swap already had the signs pointing in the direction of a Fournier FA departure.

Well, if the New York Knicks are preparing an offer like Daily Knicks’ Brad Dressler is speculating they could, then Fournier will certainly go down as a half-season rental that didn’t move the needle enough to justify staying in the Danny Ainge era.

According to Dressler, a second-year team option on a bloated short-term deal could be on Knicks President Leon Rose’s agenda this offseason:

"Fournier is reportedly asking for a 4-year, $80 million deal from Boston. Once they give up on re-signing him, the asking price may come down a bit.I believe the Knicks could secure Fournier’s services for something to the tune of 2-years, $50 million with a team option on the second year. This would help the team maintain its flexibility come next offseason."

That asking price is something new Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens would certainly consider, but remember, the luxury tax is something he’d probably like to avoid this season considering the likelihood the Cs could still end up falling short of championship expectations.

But, keeping flexibility for next year–when spending on a contender may be a far more realistic task considering the possibility of a star free agent addition–and choosing to avoid putting too many eggs in the 2021-22 basket is a prudent move in an offseason that Stevens has already come out on top in.