Inside The Nuggets

12-Year Veteran, Ex-Nuggets Player Gets Honest About Leaving NBA

This NBA veteran was not interested in sitting on the bench for a losing team

Joey Linn

Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) on the bench in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.
Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) on the bench in the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. / Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images
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Many NBA veterans cut their time in the league short because they would rather pursue other opportunities over sitting the bench. While some teams value a veteran presence on the bench who plays a small role on the court and a big role in the locker room, not every player is willing to accept such a role.

This is especially the case when a player has offers overseas where they can make the same or more than a veteran minimum contract while playing a much larger role. For 12-year NBA veteran Evan Fournier, that was a more appealing situation to him than staying in the league.

Signing a two-year deal worth more than $4 million with Euroleague club Olympiacos (via Shams Charania of The Athletic), Fournier will leave the NBA after 12 seasons.

In a post on X, Maxime Aubin of L'ÉQUIPE revealed Fournier's thought process:

“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.’ Added he wants to ‘compete’ in Europe and ‘enjoy playing basketball again.’”

Fournier began his 12-year NBA career with the Denver Nuggets who selected him 20th overall in the 2012 NBA draft. Spending two seasons in Denver, Fournier’s longest run with a single team came with the Orlando Magic from 2014-2021. After leaving Orlando, Fournier spent time with the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons.

In 704 career NBA games, Fournier averaged 13.6 points on 44.1 percent shooting and 37.4 percent from three. Still a competitor, Fournier wants to find his joy playing basketball again and hopes to do so with Olympiacos.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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