The New York Knicks haven't had a great start to the start of their 2022-23 season, and calls for them to make some moves are beginning to increase. The good news is that the Knicks have a lot of spare pieces who could help out other teams, while also allowing them to address the real needs that they have on their roster.
New York once again has a lot of talent on their roster, but they haven't been able to find a way to put all the pieces together and churn out victories. Even with the addition of Jalen Brunson, who has been a catalyst for their offense, the Knicks have had the same struggles that plagued them for much of the previous campaign.
The Knicks aren't exactly on the verge of falling apart, but it's becoming clear that frustrations are mounting as they continue to struggle this season. So as New York continues to have a rough start to the season, let's take a look at one Knicks player who needs to be traded as soon as possible and see why that's the case.
Knicks player who must be traded: Evan Fournier
As previously mentioned, the Knicks have a lot of players on their team who just don't have roles right now. Their backcourt in particular has become a bit crowded with the offseason addition of Brunson, and New York is leaving valuable veteran players on their bench without anything to do.
The guy who has likely gotten the shortest end of the stick is Evan Fournier. Fournier was expected to be one of the first guys off of the bench for the Knicks this season, but instead, he's been completely dropped from their rotation. Fournier has now registered six straight DNP's for New York, and his playing time isn't likely to increase anytime soon.
The Knicks obviously have Brunson starting at point guard now, but they also have Cam Reddish, Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, and Quentin Grimes competing for minutes in the backcourt as well. Not all these guys are playing, as Rose and Grimes have also had their roles reduced, but no one else is simply not playing other than Fournier.
Fournier hasn't been great in limited action this season (6.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 34.4 FG%) but he hasn't really gotten much of a chance to succeed this season. Fournier's minutes were already cut back prior to him basically getting benched, meaning there's really no sense for the Knicks to hold onto him at this point.
Fournier isn't the greatest player the game of basketball has ever seen, but in a set role, he could be quite helpful for a contending team. Fournier is an effective three-level scorer when he's getting playing time and taking shots, and while he doesn't offer much else in terms of rebounding, passing, and defense, Fournier's shooting abilities at the wing position make him a desirable player.
At his best, Fournier can be a 15-20 point per game scorer while shooting around 45 percent from the floor. He hasn't done that so far this season with the Knicks, but again, he hasn't really gotten a chance to do so. And given all of the guards that they have on their roster as is, that likely isn't going to change anytime soon.
Considering all the other holes New York has on their roster right now, there's really no sense for them to just let Fournier sit on the bench and collect dust. The Knicks could bolster their frontcourt depth by swinging a trade revolving around Fournier, although it may not be a player for player swap considering the contract Fournier has attached to him.
The Knicks haven't done a great job putting their talent to use this season, and while some of that falls on head coach Tom Thibodeau, the front office could make his job a bit easier by cleaning up the depth chart a bit and getting rid of some of the dead weight on the roster. Fournier is a good player, but at this point, he's not doing anything, and would be much more useful on another team at this point.
Fournier should be moved as soon as possible if New York isn't planning on using him, as they could get some helpful assets in return for him. The Knicks probably could find use for him, but at this point, their relationship seems to be beyond repair. And if the Knicks don't plan on using him, they may as well move him and get something in return for him while they still can.
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