We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a dear friend.
The Evan Fournier traded player exception expired peacefully yesterday. It is survived by its cousins, the Juancho Hernangomez and Dennis Schröder traded player exceptions.
To some, the Fournier TPE was just some collection of numbers on a ledger; a function of a complicated collective bargaining agreement. But those who knew it well knew it represented more than just some weird procedural nuance people struggled to understand.
It represented hope.
The Fournier TPE was the son of the Gordon Hayward traded player exception, which, at $27.5 million, was the largest ever created. The Hayward TPE was bombastic, presenting unrealistic expectations that set its offspring up for certain disappointment. Where the Hayward TPE had big Hollywood dreams of huge, league-changing splashes, the Fournier TPE was more tempered.
The Hayward TPE never landed its big, starring role, instead settling for smaller, bit parts to make ends meet. In March of 2021, Fournier, the player, was acquired. Three months later, the Celtics added Josh Richardson with another portion of the TPE. Broken, the remainder of the Hayward TPE expired quietly.
Fournier battled COVID after his arrival and struggled mightily until a breakout stretch at the end of 2021. Hopes were high that he wouldn’t follow down the same path as his predecessor, but the siren call of the New York Knicks drew him towards the rocks. Before long, he was doomed to become a TPE as well.
But, like green stalks rising from the ashes of a forest fire, hope sprang forth in the transformation. The Fournier TPE gave Boston $17.1 million dollars worth of potential to aid a burgeoning contender still struggling to find its way. Trade machines whirred with deals, and visions of useful players aiding the young Celtics to playoff wins filled fans’ heads.
Life, though, is hard for a TPE. They rarely reach their full potential. No matter how it was spun, the Fournier TPE seemed destined to fade into the night, just like so many before it. Even when opportunities arose, the Celtics went in a different direction.
The death knell came when Boston acquired Malcolm Brogdon in a rare five-for-one deal that included a first-round pick. The acquisition shifted team finances to such a degree that situations that once may have called for using the Fournier TPE were suddenly too taxing. It became clear that the Fournier TPE’s time was nearing an end.
The loss of the Fournier TPE will now live on as an enduring “what if” in franchise history, the scope of which will only grow should the team not live up to its championship promise. While it may have spurred happy thoughts of theoretical trades, its expiration will now fuel angry vitriol should the team still fall short. Losing the Fournier TPE now risks becoming a cautionary “woulda, coulda, shoulda” in Boston sports.
History, though, is written by the victors, and so how the life of the Fournier TPE is ultimately viewed will depend on whether its expiration was costly. Until then, we should remember the good times fondly.
With the passing of this exception, the only remaining connection to Hayward on the Celtics is now Derrick White. He, like Fournier before him, hopes to avoid becoming a TPE himself. Time will also reveal whether the entire Hayward lineage is cursed to become a series of exceptions
White does have a chance of breaking the cycle, which may be the best way to honor the memory of the Fournier TPE. The Fournier TPE walked so White may run -- né -- fly.
It was an exception that led to a fun existence. It gave everyone hope, even until the very end.
In lieu of flowers, the Celtics request you make a donation to the Fournier TPE memorial fund, which can be done through Ticketmaster after the announcement of the 2022-23 schedule.