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Former NBA wing Evan Fournier, who just signed a two-year, $4 million deal with Greek professional basketball club Olympiacos, said he turned down a contract with the Washington Wizards.
Maxine Aubin of L’Équipe reported the news from Fournier, who cited his lack of interest in a “mentoring role” for younger players as well as playing for a “losing team” during an appearance on the First Team podcast.
Maxime Aubin @MaximeAubin1
Evan Fournier said he was offered a 2 years contract with the Wizards in NBA, but he wasn’t interested in a “mentoring role” with the youngsters, “in a losing team”. <br><br>Added he wants to “compete” in Europe and “enjoy playing basketball again”. <br><br>Reported by <a href=” &…
First Team @FirstTeam101
Evan Fournier nous a révélé qu’il avait pensé à arrêter sa carrière 🗣<br><br>🎙 “Je me suis dit que ça se trouve, c’est la dernière. Moi, je suis prêt à arrêter, je n’avais pas de problème avec ça”<br><br>🍿 L’entretien complet sera dispo demain à 18h sur YouTube ! <a href=”https://t.co/vCiJSuNCIq”>pic.twitter.com/vCiJSuNCIq</a>
The Wizards just went 15-67 last season, bad enough for the NBA’s second-worst win-loss record (the 14-68 Detroit Pistons resided in the cellar). Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the team’s over/under for wins next season sits at 20.5. So projections aren’t great for next year’s squad either.
Washington also has a roster that skews younger, with most of the team 25 years old or younger. But there are some veterans in the mix, including Jonas Valančiūnas, Richaun Holmes, Malcolm Brogdon and Kyle Kuzma.
Ultimately, the 31-year-old Fournier decided to parlay a successful Olympic run with silver medalist France into a new deal with Olympiacos.
He’s fared well over a 12-year NBA career, though, averaging 13.6 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including a career-high 18.5 PPG for an Orlando Magic team that made the playoffs.
Playing time had been hard to come by over the previous two seasons, though, namely with the New York Knicks. He fell out of the rotation there but landed with the Pistons before the end of the 2023-24 season, averaging 7.2 PPG in 18.7 MPG.
Fournier was third on France in scoring during the 2024 Paris Olympics, posting 9.8 PPG.