Former Nuggets draft pick announces he’s leaving NBA after decade-plus

The NBA offseason has gotten pretty quiet over the past few weeks with very little player movement or game action to speak of. There was a great flurry of trades and free agency, then an excellent Olympic basketball tournament, but at this point, it feels like a sort of holding pattern until training camp begins.

Evan Fournier exits the NBA, signs with Euroleague team

But there was a noteworthy bit of news on Monday as Shams Charania of the Athletic reported that NBA veteran, Evan Fournier of France is exiting the NBA and signing a deal to play overseas. Fournier was drafted by the Nuggets with the 20th overall pick in 2012. 

He played two seasons in Denver including a solid sophomore campaign where he was a solid bench contributor. Fournier was traded to the Orlando Magic on draft night 2014 in a deal that brought Arron Afflalo to Denver.

Fournier went on to have a 12-year career in the NBA with his most recent season split between the Knicks and the Pistons. He has also had a great international career playing for the French National Team, including a key role in the team that won a silver medal this Summer in Paris.

The 31-year-old Fournier signed a two-year, $4 million deal with Olympiacos, a Greek team that competes in the EuroLeague. He should still be able to provide some shooting and scoring/creation on offense, but he has lost a step and become nothing more than a deep bench player in the NBA.

Still, Fournier had a very solid career and was a useful wing player for a long time. He averaged over 15 points per game with the Magic for seven straight seasons during his prime before bouncing around from the Celtics to the Knicks.

This deal most likely signifies the end of Fournier’s NBA career, but never say never. We’ve seen players have overseas rejuvenations in the past and it can’t be completely ruled out. But it certainly has looked like Fournier is a step slow for the NBA in recent years.