Coming off a career season in his first year with the New York Knicks, Donte DiVincenzo naturally wanted to build off of that.
That played a “significant role” in the Knicks front office’s decision to part ways with DiVincenzo as a critical piece in the Karl-Anthony Towns–Julius Randle blockbuster swap, according to SNY’s Knicks insider Ian Begley.
“I can say confidently that DiVincenzo didn’t exactly love the idea of playing fewer minutes/a reduced role this season,” Begley reported in the aftermath of the trade. “He was coming off of a career year and helped the team win a ton of games when it was shorthanded.”
“I don’t think any competitor would be thrilled with the idea of taking a reduced role in this situation.”
DiVincenzo was expected to come off the bench had he stayed in New York after the Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges in July.
The 27-year-old guard became a fan favorite last season when he meshed well with Jalen Brunson at the Knicks backcourt.
DiVincenzo made a career-high 283 3-pointers, a Knicks franchise record in his lone season in New York. He was the league’s third-most prolific 3-point shooter behind Stephen Curry (357) and Luka Doncic (284) last season.
Now, he’s off to the Timberwolves, who have been high on him since last year’s free agency, per ESPN.
Leaving Nova-Knicks for Bigger Role
The Timberwolves targeted DiVicenzo, who was their free-agent target a year ago but lost to the Knicks.
According to a report from The Athletic in February, DiVincenzo’s former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry helped him choose between the Knicks and the Timberwolves during his free agency last year.
He was already leaning to the Knicks because of the Villanova connection with Brunson and Josh Hart. Curry reinforced that choice, according to The Athletic.
It proved to be the right decision as he broke out and helped the Knicks get the No. 2 seed and reach the second round of the NBA playoffs.
DiVincenzo is leaving the “Nova-Knicks” for a bigger role in Minnesota, where he is expected to play significant minutes and fill the shooting void vacated by Towns, who is a career 39.8% 3-point shooter.
Win-Win Trade
The Knicks got the best player in the deal in Towns, who averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, while shooting 50% from the field and 41.6% from 3-point range last season.
A four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player, Towns is the perfect complement for Brunson as a pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop partner.
He can play on and off the ball as he proved last season next to paint-clogging center Rudy Gobert and the dynamic Anthony Edwards.
Now, the Knicks have the personnel to match the defending champion Boston Celtics’ five-man out action with Kristaps Porzingis as their stretch big.
On the other hand, the Timberwolves broke down Town’s enormous $49.2 million salary into two starting-caliber players, at least for this season.
Randle gives them a rugged player who is a bully-ball in the halfcourt, though his fit next to Gobert is clunky. A Randle pairing with Naz Reid, who shot 41.4% from the 3-point distance last season is the better fit.
If the Randle experiment fails, the Timberwolves can let him walk after the season if Randle opts to enter unrestricted free agency or flip him for a better-suited player. Either way, the Timberwolves get out of the tax apron for future flexibility with Edwards entering his prime.
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