Getty Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors grabs a rebound from Robert Williams III #44 of the Boston Celtics
The Golden State Warriors lost some of their key contributors this offseason with the departure of Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., and Juan Toscano-Anderson in free agency. The team did re-sign an essential piece in Kevon Looney, however, and their free agency moves haven’t stopped there.
The Warriors helped fill the void left by the departures by signing free agent guard Donte DiVincenzo to a two-year, $9.3 million deal with a player option for the second year. NBA executives have already heralded the DiVincenzo signing as the top signing of the offseason as Heavy’s Sean Deveney reported.
“Great pickup for them and a really great price—I thought he’d get around the midlevel exception, but they got him for half that. It’s strange that the Kings seemed to want him for the last couple of years, then let him walk so easily once he was a free agent. But this is a really great fit for them because Donte did not have a great year last year but he is a very good catch-and-shoot player from the 3-point line and can do some other things for you with his defense and his rebounding,” an Eastern Conference GM told Deveney.
NBA executives aren’t the only ones praising Golden State for the move. Draymond Green had strong words about the ‘incredible’ signing for the Dubs.
Draymond’s Comments on the Divincenzo Signing
The Warriors tweeted a quote from their defensive leader sharing his excitement for the recent signing.
“Donte Divincenzo is a champion, so I’m very happy with that signing. I thought that was an incredible move for us, and I think he will help us out tremendously.”
Divincenzo struggled a bit last season following his trade to the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 10.3 points but shot only 36% from the field. On a Warriors team, with his shooting ability it is hard not to see that going up and him being a key piece in the Warriors rotation.
Draymond’s praise for the newly-signed guard didn’t stop there. He spoke about the signing on an episode of The Draymond Green Show, saying,
“Warriors also signed Donte, which I thought was a great pickup. Steph [Curry] and I definitely put the full-court press on Donte, and understanding how important that addition is. With losing (Gary Payton II), you add another wing who can defend.
“Donte can shoot the ball, I think he’s going to get more open shots with us than he’s ever gotten. And that’ll be absolutely incredible. I think he’ll have an opportunity to show his athletic ability. I think this will be very good for Donte and I think this will be really good for the Warriors so I’m absolutely happy about that signing,” Green said.
Other Warriors Offseason Rumors
Of course, the Warriors remain linked in the Kevin Durant trade rumors, but one NBA executive recently disputed the claim calling it a ‘fairy dust’ trade rumor. Golden State has also been mentioned as a possible landing spot for veteran forward Markieff Morris. What moves they make or the result of the Durant rumors is yet to be seen, but expect the Dubs to add another piece or two to make up for the players they lost to free agency.