Evan Fournier makes strong free agency statement with standout effort for France in upset win over USA Basketball

Evan Fournier entered the Olympics without an NBA contract for next season. However, his stock around the league will certainly be on the rise after his performance against Team USA Basketball on Sunday.

Fournier led all scorers with 28 points,  hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer in the game’s final minute to help lead France to a 83-76 upset win over the Americans in the Olympic pool play opener.

Fournier went 11-of-23 from the field in the victory and also knocked down four 3-pointers to pace France’s offense against the Americans star power. He also added four rebounds, an assist and a steal as France handed USA their first loss in the Olympics since 2004.

The Celtics acquired the French sharpshooting guard at the trade deadline last season for a pair of second round picks but he will be an unrestricted free agent when the offseason begins next month. Boston holds Bird Rights on the wing, meaning they can offer whatever they want for him on the open market, but Sunday’s performance should only increase his asking price among teams across the league.

Fournier wreaked havoc against the American defense with his aggressiveness in getting to the rim and getting up shots from the perimeter (13 3-point attempts) to take advantage of a USA squad that had struggled during exhibition play before the Olympics.

Playing in the Olympics carries a bit of a risk for Fournier as any kind of serious injury could impact securing a big contract for himself next season with Boston or another team. However, Fournier could also help his market with elite play against some of the league’s best at the Olympics and that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday.

The challenge for the Celtics as they manage their offseason priorities is weighing how much they want to invest in Fournier over the long-term. The good news for the team’s odds of retaining him is that there aren’t too many teams in free agency with enough salary cap room to make a significant offer to Fournier. The wing market has also become more crowded in recent weeks with guys like Norm Powell and Will Barton opted out of their contracts to add more supply to the market.

Fournier is still one of the best pure scorers in this year’s free agency class coming off a season where he averaged 17.1 points per game in his time split between Orlando and Boston. The Celtics simply can’t afford to lose him in free agency with no return since they do not have the salary cap space to adequately replace him.

There are a few other options (sign-and-trade) to leverage his value if the Celtics aren’t able to retain him. How much the team decides Fournier is worth in his next contract is the far tougher choice, along with what players on the roster would need to be moved if he’s retained in order to stay within the team’s budget. He’s expected to command at least $14 million per season in this market, per league sources.

The negotiations between the Celtics and Fournier’s camp will begin while the Olympics are still ongoing next week as free agency opens up on August 1st.