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When Evan Fournier first saw reports Saturday of the Knicks’ trade with the Raptors — without all of the details fully revealed — he naturally wondered if he and his expiring contract might be included in the deal.
Fournier, who is making $18 million this season, was not packaged with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the trade that imported OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks.
Instead, the little-used veteran appeared in just his second game of the season with the Knicks left shorthanded in Saturday night’s loss in Indiana.
“The thing is the way I learned [about the trade], I think all it said was it was a trade package surrounding RJ. So of course you see that, and you’re like, ‘Oh.’ So you check your phone and stuff,” Fournier said after the game. “I sleep well at night. I don’t check my phone to see if there’s a trade or anything. I just focus on the moment because that’s the business.”
The 31-year-old Fournier played for the first time since Nov. 17 — scoring 10 points on 3 of 10 shooting in 17 minutes — as he awaits inclusion in a trade as salary filler.
“Happy to play, for sure, but the game is fast. … It’s never easy to play a game after being on the bench for a while,” Fournier said. “I tried to give my best effort.”
Jericho Sims was announced as available after missing the previous six games with a sprained ankle, but he did not play, even with the Knicks shorthanded from the trade.
“He hasn’t had contact and that was more emergency, if we needed him,” Thibodeau said.
Sims is not on the injury report for Monday’s game against Minnesota, and neither is Quentin Grimes, who sat out Saturday’s game with a non-COVID illness. Flynn has been ruled out with a sprained right ankle.
Thibodeau cleared the bench near the end of Saturday’s game, including two-way rookie Jacob Toppin entering with 1:05 to play. His older brother, former Knicks forward Obi Toppin, already was out of the game, but he reentered with 28.2 seconds left so he could share an NBA court with his brother for the first time in their careers.