Getty Donte DiVincenzo during Game Six against the Indiana Pacers on May 17.
Amidst the acquisition of Mikal Bridges and re-signing of OG Anunoby, the New York Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. He’s joining the Oklahoma City Thunder on a three-year deal.
But shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo is optimistic about the Knicks’ chances next season. He told Stefan Bondy as much in a July 1 interview for the New York Post.
“Whatever team we have, I think we’re going to be very good,” DiVincenzo told Bondy. “No matter what happens the rest of the offseason, I think overall everybody is going to come back and get better. I think with [Tom Thibodeau] there’s always a foundation, it doesn’t matter who is on the court.”
DiVincenzo told Bondy that it doesn’t matter who is and isn’t on the court. New York, after winning 50 games and making the Eastern Conference Semifinals, is ready to make a leap.
“No matter who is on the team, I think we got a sense and we got a taste of what we can do and how we can take that next step,” DiVincenzo continued. “And I think every single person in the organization is going to do everything they can to take that next step.”
Hartenstein developed into a top two-way center with the Knicks last season. His presence will be missed on both ends of the ball.
DiVincenzo Primed for New Role?
DiVincenzo’s first season in New York was also his first as a full-time starter. He averaged a career-high 15.5 points on 40% shooting from behind-the-arc.
DiVincenzo set a franchise record for three-pointers made in a game with 11, as well as three-pointers made in a season with 283.
Now, his role is up in air. No one expects the Knicks to bench Bridges, who they traded a bevy of first-round picks for. And the team is as much Julius Randle‘s as it has ever been.
That leaves DiVincenzo as the odd man out. New York’s starting lineup will likely feature Jalen Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, barring any other moves.
Great players take on new roles for the sake of winning all the time. How first-year starter DiVincenzo will react to a demotion is unclear, as much as what the final edition of the Knicks’ roster will look like come Opening Night.
Knicks’ Roster Still Not Final
As of July 2, the Bridges trade is yet to be finalized between New York and the crosstown Brooklyn Nets.
It could be a disagreement over compensation, but could also mean that Leon Rose and the front office are mulling options elsewhere.
Finishing the deal while Hartenstein was unsigned was a priority for financial purposes. It’s possible it could be on pause now as they search for a backup center on the free agent or trade markets.
It’s ironic then, that Brooklyn backup big Day’Ron Sharpe is a player Brooklyn’s been reportedly shopping, and could fit into the deal with the Knicks.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto first reported the 22-year-old’s availability on June 26.
“Across the bridge, the Brooklyn Nets have chosen to pivot towards a rebuild,” Scotto wrote. “And other Nets veterans, including Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons, and backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, are all potential trade candidates to monitor, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Sharpe is coming off of his third NBA campaign, all with the Nets. He averaged 6.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 61 regular-season appearances last season.
On a $3.9 million team option for next season, he’d be a feasible fit into the deal Brooklyn and New York have in place.
The only question is what additional assets the Nets might ask of the Knicks in return.