Knicks’ Villanova strategy reflected in Bleacher Report’s offseason description
The New York Knicks have had a quiet offseason, with far more rumors surrounding the team than moves made. The front office made one big splash in free agency by signing Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year deal, and unless something changes, that signing will go down as New York’s most significant move of the summer.
DiVincenzo gives the Knicks a much-needed shooter to help space the floor. The Heat left Josh Hart open during the second-round playoff series, but that’s not a strategy Erik Spoelstra would’ve implemented if New York had DiVincenzo. The 26-year-old is coming off a season in Golden State where he shot a career-high 39.7% from deep.
DiVincenzo won’t solve all of the Knicks’ issues, and he shouldn’t be expected to, but his signing will still help to move the needle for New York in 2023-24.
His $50 million contract is good value, as is the four-year, $80 million extension the Knicks signed Josh Hart to earlier this month. Because of those two moves, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz chose ‘wildcat’ as New York’s word of the offseason.
Bleacher Report uses ‘wildcat’ to describe Knicks’ offseason moves
A year and a half ago, Knicks fans didn’t know what they were missing. It started when New York signed Jalen Brunson in free agency last summer, and seven months later, Leon Rose traded for another 2016 Villanova champion, Josh Hart. The stars aligned perfectly for the Knicks to lure Donte DiVincenzo to New York City this offseason.
He didn’t sign with the Knicks until the second day of free agency as he took meetings with other teams, but in the end, reuniting with Brunson and Hart on a top-five team in the East was too big of a draw for DiVincenzo to ignore.
DiVincenzo’s the only Villanova player on the roster who won an NBA championship, which came in 2021 with Milwaukee. He and Brunson won two titles as Wildcats, but DiVincenzo has the edge over Brunson with his NBA resume. New York fans would love to see the Villanova trio win a title with the Knicks, a goal ESPN’s Bobby Marks thinks is attainable for the organization in 2024.
One step at a time, though. New York’s focus should be building off the success it enjoyed this past season, and it’ll all start with Donte DiVincenzo’s Knicks debut on Oct. 25 against the Celtics.
