Getty Josh Hart of the New York Knicks celebrates his shot with teammates Jalen Brunson and Obi Toppin.
The New York Knicks saw a Villanova reunion take place this past season with their decision to acquire Josh Hart at the 2023 trade deadline and team him up with collegiate running mate, Jalen Brunson. Now, the franchise could add another former Wildcat to the mix this summer with impending free agent, Donte DiVincenzo.
The fifth-year pro has oft been found linked as being a possible target for the Knicks during the early stages of this offseason, with Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reporting that New York has a serious interest in signing the guard. Adding on to this speculation, according to a June 28 piece penned by SNY’s NBA insider Ian Begley it appears this desire to join forces goes both ways.
“As SNY reported, prominent members of the Knick organization are in favor of pursuing DiVincenzo in free agency. There is mutual interest between the Knicks and DiVincenzo,” Begley wrote.
GSW went 15-10 in games Donte DiVincenzo started last season. Warriors outscored opponents by 157 points in those games when DiVincenzo was on the floor. There’s mutual interest between DiVincenzo & the Knicks, but NYK will have competition for the FA:
Of course, considering his championship experience (served as a key contributor for the Milwaukee Bucks during their 2021 title run) and proven on-court abilities, signing Donte DiVincenzo likely will not prove to be a simple task to accomplish, as there is bound to be a bevy of other front offices gunning for his services.
3 Teams Outside of Knicks Linked to Donte DiVincenzo
Per Begley’s piece, along with the Knicks, there are three other ball clubs who, at the moment, seem to have a notable interest in pursuing Donte DiVincenzo on the open market this summer.
“New York will have competition. Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit are among the teams with interest in DiVincenzo, as other outlets have reported. 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,” Begley wrote.
Begley would suggest that a major factor in New York’s pursuit of DiVincenzo this offseason will be determined by what Josh Hart decides to do with his $13 million player option for the 2023-24 season.
Should the wing opt in and play out his current contract, it would give the Knicks more financial flexibility to utilize in free agency which, in turn, could help better their odds of landing the likes of DiVincenzo, who is coming off a season where he served as a key part of the Golden State Warriors bench unit.
Through 72 games played, DiVincenzo posted impressive averages of 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 39.7% from deep.
Bruce Brown Suggested as a Backup Option for Knicks
Should the Knicks strike out on their rumored chase of Donte DiVincenzo, Ian Begley suggested on a June 27 episode of The Putback that New York could pivot toward a pursuit of impending Denver Nuggets wing, Bruce Brown Jr as a backup plan.
“If it doesn’t work out with DiVincenzo, I think they could make a run at Bruce Brown. Obviously, a 3&D player [who] helped the Nuggets in a big way,” Begley said.
“If it doesn’t work out with DiVincenzo, I think [the Knicks] could make a run at Bruce Brown” – @IanBegley
Ian, @TheFrankIsola, and @iHateShaun preview NBA free agency on The Putback with Ian Begley: t.co/l1eOzDyl5y
Brown finds himself coming off a promising season where he helped Denver clinch their first-ever NBA championship.
Through 80 games played, the wing found himself posting solid per-game averages of 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 48.3% from the field and 35.8% from deep.
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‘Mutual Interest’ Exists Between Knicks & NBA Champion Guard: Insider