Why the Philadelphia 76ers need to acquire Evan Fournier

Nov 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes (22) blocks the shot attempt of Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Fournier’s Fit in Philly

Fournier is 24 years old and fits well with Philadelphia’s timeline. Fournier is locked up for the next 4 years to a reasonable extension. Because of this, the 76ers will not have to worry about Fournier when extensions for Covington, Embiid, and Simmons are due.

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Fournier also fills multiple huge needs. The first need he fills is a shooter. Fournier can knock down shots on a consistent basis. During the 2015-2016 Season, Fournier shot 46% on field goals and 40 percent from three point land. Despite playing in one of the most stagnant offenses in the league, Fournier proved to be an excellent shooter who can make shots. Although last season, Fournier shot 35 percent from 3-point land, this is likely the result of the Magic putting together some of the worst offensive lineups in the league and not a result of Fournier missing opportunities.

Another need Fournier fills is the shooting guard position. The 76ers have lacked a great shooting guard since Allen Iverson or Andrew Toney if you consider the Answer to be a point guard. The following players have started at the two for the Sixers the past 5 years, Gerald Henderson, Nik Stauskas, Hollis Thompson, Past being past his prime Jason Richardson, K.J McDaniels, and Evan Turner. This list is embarrassing. The best thing about anyone in this list might be Nik Stauskas co-starring in this 2014 NBA Draft piece.

I will always find a way to include this video, just like how any NBA team can include Evan Fournier on their roster. Fournier can play the two and the three for Brett Brown, which opens endless lineups of Simmons, Fournier, Covington, Saric, and Embiid as a death lineup. That lineup should strike fear into any Eastern Conference GM. Imagine having to defend a team with that much length and shooting. It would be like playing the MonStars from Space Jam. That lineup could run teams out of the building.

Let’s also not forget that Brett Brown and the Sixers coaching staff makes players better. The Sixers turned TJ McConnell into an NBA player. The Sixers have turned Joel Embiid into a Hakeem Olajuwon clone with a three-point range. The Sixers have turned Nik Stauskas into… never mind bad example, but you get the point. It’s very possible that Brown turns Fournier into a Boston Celtics Ray Allen type cooler who consistent 3rd option for a contender.

How much will Fournier cost?

The Magic do not have a lot to look forward to. Ever since trading Dwight Howard in the Summer of 2012, the Magic have no franchise players to show from it. In the past year and a half, the Magic basically traded Tobias Harris, Victor Oladipo, Serge Ibaka, Ersan Ilyasova, and the 12th pick in the 2016 NBA draft in exchange for Terrance Ross and the 25th pick in the draft. Still, that is not even the worst trade the Magic have done. That trade would be trading Dario Saric and the 76ers 2017 Unprotected first back to Philadelphia for everyone’s favorite “high upside” player in 2014, Elfred Payton. Man, that was a weird draft.

The Magic have recently hired John Hammond who knows the important value of a franchise player. Hammond was in Milwaukee when the Bucks selected Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. He knows that picks are necessary to acquire a star like that.

Fournier will likely be kept unless the Magic are offered some combination of picks and/or young talent. The Magic are the only team that possesses less shooting than the 76ers, so it could take a decent amount to acquire the French Star. Luckily the 76ers are flushed with picks and cap space. Here are some potential trades the 76ers could do.