Evan Fournier sounded off on the Knicks in a recent interview

Following some rumors about the Knicks trying to add Evan Fournier into a multi-team trade that could help New York get rid of the veteran’s expiring contract, Fournier conceded an interview to French newspaper L’Equipe in which he showed no mercy to the franchise that currently fills his bag.

Thanks to a transcription by Basket News, we know that Fournier “doesn’t have a relationship with head coach Thibodeau.”

Fournier seemingly wants “to get traded” and he “doesn’t understand the logic of the Knicks organization.”

Discussing his love/hate affair with Thibs, and asked whether or not he has some sort of relationship with Thibs, the veteran told L’Equipe “I have none.”

Expanding on that, Fournier revealed that Thibodeau told him that he “was going to try something else,” adding that the coach only followed that up by announcing to Fournier that “I was leaving the rotation, and ciao.”

I might be alone here, but I found it very interesting how Fournier brought another veteran and now former Knick to the conversation while navigating his interview with L’Equipe and discussing his frustrations.

“You have hatred. Derrick Rose and I looked at each other and said to each other: ‘What the hell are we doing here?’ During the five-on-five practice, we were on the side like some prospects. Uncool times. And when I realized that wouldn’t change, I took things more slowly,” Fournier revealed.

That’s hella interesting because 1) I think Fournier is only bringing Rose to the conversation in order to build a narrative in which he’s not the lone bad guy here, and 2) Rose has never badmouthed Thibs nor questioned his decisions on his way to becoming one of the most beloved players among Knicks fanatics.

I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy Fournier’s words here. They might be true, and Rose might have been swallowing his whole pride and just staying silent to not create any trouble after getting removed from the rotation. But again, I can only see Fournier’s comments as very defensive ones, throwing balls out, and taking advantage of Rose’s more prominent role and status only to shield himself from any criticism. Just my two cents.

Finally, Fournier said he “would be shot” if he doesn’t get traded by New York this summer or heading into the regular season. Fournier revealed, or rather thinks, “I’m going to be traded, it’s not possible otherwise. Or I’d be stuck, and so would they.”

The Frenchman reasoned those thoughts by saying that the Knicks “have several players with big contracts coming in,” and that “unless they want to pay a crazy luxury tax [then they will trade me].”

“If I stayed, it would be a disaster basketball-wise for my career,” Fournier admitted. “I can manage a year without playing. Two—that would be terrible,” said the soon-to-be 31-year-old.

Fournier didn’t talk to the media publicly following the Knicks’ elimination from the playoffs last May, but he spoke with the New York Post then and shared a few interesting nuggets with them about his past, present, and future in New York.

“My season has been over for a very long time, actually,” revealed Fournier entirely ditching the narrative built by Thibs about thinking about maybe using his long-range shooting prowess in the series against the Heat that saw the Knicks crash out of the postseason. “This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago.”

Fournier did not play at all following a 12-minute outing against the Indiana Pacers on Apr. 9th. He hoisted four field-goal attempts then and hit none of them.

“It took me a good month to understand that,” Fournier acknowledged. This was the first season in his 11-year pro career in which he played fewer than 38 games, and also the first one since his rookie campaign in 2013 (428 minutes in Denver) in which he got fewer than 1,259 minutes.

Fournier also said that “obviously, there are gonna be changes,” adding, “I’m gonna get traded.”

He has now doubled down on his feelings, what he wants to happen next, and how he thinks the Knicks will operate and deal with him going forward. However, as a player under contract for another year (with a team option following next season), there is nothing forcing New York to trade Fournier right now—or at any point, really—if they don’t want to.

It’s obvious that Fournier is going to keep biting his nails at the tail end of the bench next season, and that he’s earning a hefty salary that would open a monster gap in the Knicks' cap room if he gets traded away (even if that means dealing some draft picks to whoever lands his expiring deal). That said, New York could very well keep things as they stand right now into the trade deadline next February without much trouble.

Fournier, though, is going the distance by picking his favorite spot for where he wants to play next. “I want a spot where I can have fun again, where I can be myself,” he said. That’s cool! What is not, is trying to force his way to the Frenchified Spurs. “It’s not the Spurs of 2014 anymore but playing for [Gregg Popovich], learning from him, it would be a pleasure and an honor, for sure,” Fournier told L’Equipe. “Being with Victor, looking at the Olympics, that would be great.” Sheesh.