The Orlando Magic have continued to build a strong, young core that could see them vault up the Eastern Conference, soon.
One unlikely player making the leap, however, was Evan Fournier. On a team bereft of shooting on the wings, Fournier provided plenty of stability with a surprisingly great season as one of the most consistent players on the team.
Fournier was an especially efficient scorer for the Magic averaging 15.4 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three. He also added 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while playing 33 minutes.
The strong play from Fournier did not go unnoticed as Magic general manager Rob Hennigan showed in the following quote via the Orlando Sentinel:
“One of our biggest, if not our biggest, priorit[ies] is to make sure Evan stays with us,” Hennigan said, “and we’re confident we’ll be able to do that.”
Luckily for the Magic, Fournier is a restricted free agent meaning they will be able to match any offer given to him by other teams. The question becomes, then, how much will a team offer to “Never Google?” And if a team brashly decides to give the 23-year-old a max contract, do the Magic match?
Orlando traded away Channing Frye and Tobias Harris in separate deals at the trade deadline, in part to open up cap space. Perhaps, they were considering Fournier’s free agency in making those decisions. I do not believe that Fournier will get a max offer sheet. However, it is not out of the question that a team with ample cap space in an offseason filled with it gives him a massive offer.
There’s no telling what the correct reaction from Orlando would be should something like that happen this summer. However, if Hennigan’s comments are to be trusted and taken at face value, the Magic may do everything possible to keep Evan Fournier.
