As the NBA nears the two-week window prior to the trade deadline, Orlando Magic guard/forward Evan Fournier isn't worried about his name coming up in trade rumors after carving a niche in this system.
The French international is putting together his best season and now popping up on many teams' radars, due to his improved scoring ability and 3-point marksmanship.
“I don’t care. I was already traded once from Denver to Orlando and it happened overnight, when there were no rumors,” Fournier told Gillaume Perrin of Basket-Infos, translated by HoopsHype. “There are teams that are interested in me, it’s not that I’m going to leave, it’s a chess game, and as a player you do not control anything, so I ignore everything.”
Fournier has improved his scoring average every season and 2017-18 is no exception — posting totals of 18 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game as the Magic's second-leading scorer.
To top that off, Fournier is now in line to shoot 40 percent or more from beyond the arc for the third time in his career, currently at 39.7 percent while holding a deadeye 88.6 percent at the free throw line.
Fournier's ability to find his spots and create his own shot is a sought-after talent in the league and one that can help teams looking for an extra scoring punch in their starting lineup or off the bench.
The 25-year-old signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Magic in 2016 and the franchise has reaped the fruits of the investment — though at 14-32 for the season, they'd be hard-pressed not to evaluate their roster decisions over this deadline.
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