Stephen Curry could not be happier to see his former Golden State Warriors teammate Donte DiVincenzo getting a massive pay raise from his $4.5 million salary last season.
Curry spoke glowingly of DiVincenzo, who landed a four-year, $50 million deal with the New York Knicks in free agency after declining his $4.7 million player option with the Warriors.
“The Knicks got a good one and I’m happy that he got his fair share of that CBA, too. So it was good,” Curry said of his former teammate via New York Daily News.
DiVincenzo outplayed his $4.5 million salary last season as a vital cog of the Warriors bench. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals on 39.7 percent shooting as one of their top reserves last season.
“He’s all about basketball, he’s all about winning. He brings great energy to the locker room. I used to call him the vet even though he’s still on the younger side [26 years old] just because he has that spirit about him,” Curry said via New York Daily News. “And he plays way beyond his years. He’s good on both sides of the ball. He can playmake better than most people probably realize. So he fills a lot of holes on teams. And he’s not selfish in the respect of — I know he wants to start and be that guy, but he also understands where the value can be created on a team no matter what role you’re asked to do. And he bought in right away. And he got rewarded for it.”
DiVincenzo’s outside shooting and two-way skillset, along with his championship pedigree, will be a boon for the Knicks, who are looking to improve on their Eastern Conference semifinal finish last season.
In New York, DiVincenzo is reunited with his former Villanova teammates — rising star Jalen Brunson and key reserve Josh Hart — with the hopes of rekindling their 2016 national championship run.
Steve Kerr Says Tom Thibodeau Will Love Donte DiVincenzo
After coaching DiVincenzo for one season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is confident his former player will earn Tom Thibodeau’s trust in New York.
“His competitiveness is going to fit right in. The Knicks really struck me as a competitive group last year,” Kerr said, per the New York Post. “Thibs’ is going to love him, then the Villanova connection with Josh and Jalen. That’s real. Those guys are champions together from college.”
DiVincenzo joins a suddenly stacked Knicks guard rotation that already has Brunson, Hart, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley.
Knicks Still Eye to Trade Evan Fournier
The Knicks are still actively looking to shed Evan Fournier’s $18.8 million salary for next season. With Fournier’s market dry, the Knicks are considering all options, including a potential multi-team trade to accomplish their goal, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer.
“Rival front offices continue to say New York remains engaged on trade avenues for veteran shooter Evan Fournier, and the Knicks are amenable to doing so as part of multi-team frameworks, sources said,” Fischer wrote.
Fournier appeared in a career-low 27 games after getting banished from the rotation early last season in favor of the Knicks’ younger but more defensively sound guards Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley.
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Stephen Curry Issues Statement on Ex-Warriors Guard After Signing With Knicks