Evan Fournier Admits He Initially Planned To Re-Sign With Celtics

The Boston Celtics, supposedly, are saving their bullets for next offseason. It seems it’s for that reason Evan Fournier will not be remaining with the C’s.

Fournier reportedly agreed to a four-year, $78 million contract with the New York Knicks on Monday, leaving behind the Celtics. The longtime Orlando Magic guard was sent to the Celtics at the trade deadline, and often was a clunky fit with Boston. He played in just 16 regular-season games, averaging 13 points per contest.

He ended up getting a nice payday, but he did indicate to The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that he did actually plan on returning to the Celtics.

“That was my priority going into the summer. Because I knew the place,” Fournier told Washburn about re-signing with the Celtics. “I talked to Brad (Stevens) and we couldn’t get a deal done, obviously. I was more inclined to sign there because they traded for me.”

The Celtics, some assumed, were hesitant to tying up all their cap space now in order to spend big next summer. If that endeavor proves fruitless, then it obviously will be a bad look that they never got anything done with Fournier.

Fournier did seem more expendable when the Celtics traded for Josh Richardson, so ultimately Stevens had to have felt Boston would be fine without Fournier at that price or that Richardson would be a suitable replacement.

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