Rudy Gobert to soon-to-be free agent Evan Fournier: 'Come to Utah'
Rudy Gobert wants Magic swingman Evan Fournier to join the Jazz.
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Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier is apparently at the center of the NBA Twitter universe on Thursday. First, Fournier tweeted, "WHAT THE [EXPLETIVE]" right after the news hit that Magic coach Scott Skiles had resigned. Ninety minutes later, Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert responded to Fournier's tweet, urging him to join his French national team teammate in the pros:
Come to Utah https://t.co/oYebCm1c3N
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) May 12, 2016
Fournier will be a restricted free agent in July. Given that he is still under contract, Gobert's tweet could technically be considered tampering. The league, however, generally is more concerned with executives tampering -- players usually get away with this kind of thing.
It doesn't appear likely that Fournier would end up in Utah, anyway. He is going to command a large salary, perhaps close to the max, and the Jazz already have Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood on the wing. Fournier is 23 years old and coming off a career year -- he averaged 15.4 points with a true shooting percentage of 58.7 percent -- so the most likely scenario is that Orlando matches any offer sheet he signs.
Assuming that Fournier does not wind up with the Jazz, it could be a while before he and Gobert, his teammate on the French national team, play together again. Gobert and Fournier will both skip the Olympic qualifying tournament this June.
