Getty Gary Harris, New York Knicks
As the New York Knicks begin finalizing their plans to improve over the offseason, it’s likely that finding some additional perimeter scoring is high on the agenda.
According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the Knicks should keep a close eye on Gary Harris of the Orlando Magic. Harris will be entering the final season of his $26 million deal, however, his entire salary is non-guaranteed, making him a legitimate candidate to be waived before the season.
“New York should keep an eye on Harris with the Orlando Magic,” Swartz wrote. “His $13 million contract for 2023-24 is completely non-guaranteed, meaning the Magic could waive him at any time to collect the extra cap space. He’d be the best defensive option of the three as well.”
Harris, 28, is coming off a season that saw him shooting 43.1% from the three for the Magic, with an average of 4.5 shot attempts per game. Considering how the Knicks ended the regular season ranked 19th in three-point percentage and ranked dead last in the postseason, adding additional floor spacers will be an important part of the Knicks taking their roster to the next level.
Evan Fournier Expects to be Traded
Despite their struggles from deep last season, Evan Fournier found playing time hard to come by under head coach Tom Thibodeau. As such, the veteran guard is expecting to be traded during the summer, noting how he would be ‘surprised’ if the Knicks kept him around during an interview with Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“There’s no way they’re going to keep me. I would be very surprised if they did,” Fournier said. “So we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands…My season has been over for a very long time, actually. This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago.”
Evan Fournier Could Join The San Antonio Spurs
According to an Eastern Conference Executive, who spoke with Heavy on Sports’ Sean Deveney under the condition of anonymity, there is a chance that the San Antonio Spurs look to acquire Evan Fournier.
“There has been some interest from San Antonio to make a deal; they would give up almost nothing to the Knicks, so you get Fournier there to kind of mentor (Victor) Wembanyama,” The Executive said. “San Antonio could take him into cap space, which would free up some more wiggle room for the Knicks.”
The Spurs are almost guaranteed to select Victor Wembanyama with their first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. So, trading for a veteran compatriot, who can also help with playmaking and perimeter scoring, makes total sense for the Western Conference team. After all, Fournier is a career 37.9% shooter from deep who averages 14 points per game over 672 regular-season NBA games – a rebuilding Spurs team would likely find that type of production to be highly valuable.
While for the Knicks, moving on from Fournier would provide them additional flexibility to continue strengthening their roster as they look to build on a very successful 2022-23 NBA Season.
