Evan Fournier is now off the board for the 29 other NBA teams, as he will return to the Orlando Magic fold after picking up his $17 million player option for the 2020-21 campaign. The Athletic's Shams Charania broke the news on Monday, as free agency is set to officially begin on November 20.
Magic’s Evan Fournier will exercise his $17M player option for the 2020-21 season on Monday, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 16, 2020
Multiple contenders had the 28-year-old Frenchman in their sights this year in a bid to boost their wings. Evan Fournier, however, was already expected to exercise the fifth and final year of the $85 million contract he signed with the Magic prior to the 2016-17 season. The 6-foot-7 swingman will look to ball out in his contract year for Orlando, as he looks for an even bigger payday when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season.
Evan Fournier enjoyed the best season of his NBA career for the Magic last season, He was Orlando's second-leading scorer (18.5 points per game) behind Nicola Vucevic and led the team in steals (1.1) along with averages of 2.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Moreover, he also notched career-highs in shooting percentage, knocking down 46.7 percent of his field goals and 39.9 percent of his triples in 66 games.
Fournier, however, did struggle mightily upon the resumption of the season at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He was rather ineffective in the first round of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring just 12.8 points on just 35.1 percent shooting from the field and 34.3 from beyond the arc. The Magic were eliminated by the number one seed Bucks in just five games.
Orlando, meanwhile, does face some uncertainty with the future of Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic, who both have been linked to multiple trade talks. Fournier might have to carry an even bigger scoring load for the Magic next season.
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