Getty Donte DiVincenzo is getting a lot of interest as free agency looms.
The free agent market appears to be a robust one for shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, and the Chicago Bulls are reported to be in the mix for him.
DiVincenzo, 26, declined his $4.7 million player option with the Golden State Warriors and is set to dip his toes into the free agent waters.
A first-round draft pick out of Villanova for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018 (No. 17 overall), DiVincenzo spent three and a half seasons with the Bucks, winning an NBA championship with them to close out the 2021 season before getting traded to the Sacramento Kings .
He spent his 2022-23 campaign with the Warriors, and now, he’ll be looking for a new home after a solid year. Could that home be the Windy City?
Knicks, Bulls & Pistons Rumored to Be Interested in DiVincenzo
The #Bulls are ‘interested’ in Donte DiVincenzo, per @IanBegley
According to NBA insider Ian Begley of SNY.TV, the New York Knicks might be the frontrunners to land DiVincenzo due to his past connections with a few Knicks players.
“In some ways, it starts with Josh Hart. Hart, DiVincenzo’s college teammate at Villanova, has a $13 million player option for 2023-24. He was widely expected to opt out of the deal and become a free agent. But the Knicks and Hart recently agreed to push the date to decide on the option,” Begley wrote, adding:
“This suggests that Hart’s decision could impact a corresponding move for New York. I assume that corresponding move involves making a run at DiVincenzo. As SNY reported, prominent members of the Knick organization are in favor of pursuing DiVincenzo in free agency.”
Don’t count the Bulls out, but their lack of funds could prevent them from competing with what other teams may be able to offer the 26-year-old guard.
“Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit are among the teams with interest in DiVincenzo,” Begley added. “Minnesota and Chicago both could have access to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. Detroit projects to have cap space and could exceed the amount of the exception available to New York, Chicago and Minnesota.”
DiVincenzo Would Be Solid Addition if Bulls Could Snag Him
Donte DiVincenzo drains the 3-ball on the wing 🎯
DiVincenzo played 26.3 minutes a game last season, and he averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while hitting 39.7% of his shots from beyond the arc and 43.5% of his attempts from the field (stats via Basketball Reference).
A stellar athlete, DiVincenzo played in 72 games last season (36 starts) and adding him would give Chicago a solid 1-2 punch at shooting guard along with Alex Caruso. An effective 3-and-D wing, DiVincenzo can shoot, pass and defend so it’s no surprise numerous teams are interested in adding him. He will be looking for more than the two-year, $9.3 million deal he had with the Dubs, though,
“Donte has been fantastic,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said about DiVincenzo in June, via 95.7 The Game. “Donte is one of those guys who helps you in so many different ways that you can [put] him into any lineup and to me that’s his true value.”
The Bulls don’t have a ton to spend, but DiVincenzo isn’t out of the realm of possibility. They have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for about $12.5 million, and that could be enough. The Knicks remain the favorites to land him, but don’t count the Bulls out yet.
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Bulls Showing Interest in Former Warriors Standout: Report