Grading the New York Knicks’ free agency signing of Donte DiVincenzo
A few hours after the New York Knicks agreed to trade Obi Toppin to the Pacers, fans welcomed another player to the city. As expected, unrestricted free agent Donte DiVincenzo agreed to sign a four-year, $50 million contract with the Knicks.
DiVincenzo’s decision didn’t come until Saturday evening, over 24 hours after the free agency frenzy began. He had meetings lined up with several teams, but in the end, the appeal of joining his former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart played in New York’s favor.
The 26-year-old signed a two-year, $9.3 million deal with the Warriors last summer. He had a $4.7 million player option for 2023-24 that he declined earlier this week to pave the way to sign with the Knicks. As much as Golden State would’ve liked to retain DiVincenzo, he outplayed his contract and the Warriors couldn’t afford him.
New York used its MLE to sign DiVincenzo and is now hard-capped at $172 million for next season after trading Toppin.
Free agent G Donte DiVincenzo has agreed on a four-year, $50 million contract with the New York Knicks, Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM tells ESPN. DiVincenzo reunites with his Villanova title teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart to bolster the Eastern Conference semifinalists. pic.twitter.com/MSr1wXS4GC
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
Knicks sign free agent Donte DiVincenzo to four-year, $50 million deal
Donte DiVincenzo will come to the Knicks fresh off one of his best seasons in the league. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 3.5 assists in 72 games (36 starts) with the Warriors while shooting 43.5% from the field and a career-high 39.7% from three.
New York was an abysmal three-point shooting team this past season, so signing DiVincenzo helps to address that need. He’s a scrappy defender, an attribute that makes him similar to Josh Hart. DiVincenzo will come off the bench and be able to fit in seamlessly with whatever rotation Tom Thibodeau decides to roll with.
DiVincenzo isn’t the star player that Knicks fans have been waiting for, but there’s no doubt that even after trading Obi Toppin to Indiana, New York got better on Saturday. If you’re not sold on DiVincenzo now, your opinion should change soon after the start of the 2023-24 season.
The Donte DiVincenzo signing won’t become official until Thursday, but based on the four-year, $50 million deal and his fit with the Knicks, the front office gets a B+ grade.
Grade: B+
