Donte DiVincenzo re-established himself as a strong role player on a contender last year with his work in Golden State, averaging 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on career-best efficiency (43.5/39.7/81.7 shooting splits) for the Warriors.
A bounce-back campaign allowed DiVincenzo to decline his player option and hit the free agent market, where he figured to be a mid-level type target for teams looking to bolster their backcourt rotation with a 3-and-D option. In the days leading up to free agency, rumors popped up that DiVincenzo would make his way to the east coast and reunite with a pair of college teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. As we learned on Saturday evening, that will end up being the case, as DiVincenzo and the New York Knicks agreed to a 4-year contract that will pay him $50 million.
Free agent G Donte DiVincenzo has agreed on a four-year, $50 million contract with the New York Knicks, Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM tells ESPN. DiVincenzo reunites with his Villanova title teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart to bolster the Eastern Conference semifinalists. pic.twitter.com/MSr1wXS4GC
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Hart will teammates on the Villanova team that won a national title in 2016. Hart would go on to the NBA after that, and Brunson and DiVincenzo were two of the primary members of the Wildcats squad that earned another national championship in two years later, with DiVincenzo being named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player during that run.
Now, the trio are all back in New York following Hart opting into his contract for this year and DiVincenzo agreeing to a new deal. DiVincenzo should be able to provide a bit of offensive juice that the Knicks could really use, and at the bare minimum, he will be familiar with the games of two of his most important teammates.