Donte DiVincenzo from Salesianum now a player for the Golden State Warriors, photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors
Former Salesianum standout, Donte Divincenzo turned down his $4.7M player option with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, which officially enters him into unrestricted Free Agency when it begins this Friday at 6pm.
The “prove it” season with the Warriors should work out for Divincenzo. After an injury riddled 2021-2022 campaign, Donte played in 72 games last season for the Warriors and averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range in 26 minutes per game. He proved to be one of the more reliable reserve players for the defending champs.
Clearly Divincenzo and his group feel he has outplayed the 4.7 million dollars tag he was set to earn for this upcoming year and the stats and market are in his favor.
A few destinations that have surfaced as potential landing spots for the former Villanova star includes landing back with former Nova teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson in New York with the Knicks, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Ian Begley of SNY also has linked Donte to the Knicks, but has also listed Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit as teams who will target him come 6/30.
The Knicks are a logical fit. New York is a train ride away from home, close to Villanova, and as mentioned two former teammates are key pieces to the nucleus in New York including his former college roommate, Jalen Brunson. The only questionable spot about the Knicks from Divincenzo’s perspective could be head coach Tom Thibodeau’s coaching style. He tends to lean heavily on playing his starting five and using a short bench. The Knicks are the best positioned of these options to compete for a playoff run, but if minutes and more opportunity are Donte’s priority those other teams may be more tempting.
For those of the local fans hoping that the 76ers would pursue Divincenzo, who undoubtedly provides multiple things that the Sixers need (shooting, athleticism, defensive flexibility, high IQ, shot creator), they have not been linked to the 26-year old guard. Things can change quickly in the NBA so there’s still a chance a return to Philly could happen. For the time being, throw your GM hat on and add him to the team in your NBA 2K Dynasty team!
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