Report: Evan Fournier signs four-year, $78 million contract with Knicks

The New York Knicks have signed Evan Fournier to a four year, $78 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Fournier appears to be the most notable new addition to New York’s roster. The team also re-signed Derrick Rose, Nerlens Noel, and Alec Burks, all of whom contributed to a surprising and exciting regular season performance that earned the Knicks the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Fournier joins a team that, last season, ranked among the best NBA defenses and returned to the NBA Playoffs after an eight-year drought.

The Celtics acquired Fournier as part of a trade deadline deal that sent two second-round draft picks to the Orlando Magic, but health and safety protocols contributed to a rough go for the 28 year-old forward in Boston. He played 21 games for the C’s, including the five-game first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets.

Fournier averaged 13 points per game in 16 regular season games, shooting 46.3% from three, before hitting 43.3% from outside and averaging 15.4 PPG in the five-game loss to the Nets. But his sporadic presence in the lineup may have stunted his rhythm and increased the challenge of transitioning teams mid-season. Three times, he hit 0 field goals in a game, and twice went 7-for-11 from three, as he thrived as a roughly 50% catch-and-shoot threat playing alongside Brown and Tatum’s pressure drawn from defenses.

New York, who had the cap space and would not want to hard cap itself, had no reason to work a sign-and-trade with Boston to acquire Fournier. Per reports, the Celtics remain focused on keeping salary off the 2022 books, with only Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford signed to significant salary.