Evan Fournier is expensive offensive upgrade for Knicks

Evan Fournier is the new Knicks savior. Or at least he’s getting paid like one after he signed a four-year, $78 million pact as the centerpiece of the Knicks’ sleepy free agency Monday. The...

Evan Fournier is the new Knicks savior.

Or at least he’s getting paid like one after he signed a four-year, $78 million pact as the centerpiece of the Knicks’ sleepy free agency Monday.

The 6-foot-7 Fournier is not an NBA superstar — or even an All-Star — but he’s a hero in France as the star player for the Olympic team that upset Team USA last week and has made the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games.

“He’s a very good floor spacer,’’ one NBA scout told The Post. “He’s a good fit for the Knicks. A good combo with RJ [Barrett].’’

The 27-year-old swingman had been on a series of losing teams in Orlando when Knicks general manager Scott Perry also was there, but he has come on the past two seasons as a sweet-shooting 3-point scorer. Fournier was traded to Boston at the March deadline this past season.

Last season, Fournier averaged 17.1 points and shot 41.4 percent from 3-point range, but he’s not known for his fiery defense.

On the MSG Network free-agency show, John Wallace, former Knicks draft pick, said: “I want the French Fournier. The Olympic Fournier when he’s on the court talking like that.’’

Essentially, Fournier is replacing Reggie Bullock, the Knicks’ starting shooting guard, who signed a three-year, $31 million deal with Dallas.

“He’s a better player than Reggie, somebody who can create a little for himself,’’ another NBA personnel man said.

Fournier, who has appeared in 19 playoff games in eight seasons, is a career 37.9 percent 3-point shooter.

Fournier has the same agent, Bouna Ndiaye, as Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina, a fellow Frenchman who is an unrestricted free agent after the team chose not to extend him a qualifying offer on Sunday.

The Knicks announced their summer-league team and it’s packed — with the four rookies from Thursday’s draft (Quentin Grimes, Rokas Jokubaitis, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims), 2018 lottery pick, Kevin Knox and last season’s two first-round picks, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley. Also named to the roster is point guard Luca Vildoza of Argentina, who signed a four-year deal last spring and is playing currently in the Olympics.

One undrafted player from Thursday, Aamir Simms, a Clemson forward, also was signed to the summer-league team with a chance of gaining a two-way G-League contract. Simms was a second-team All-ACC selection, averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Marc Berman