A look at how a Donte DiVincenzo signing could impact the Knicks both on and off the court:
HOW COULD THEY GET HIM?
In some ways, it starts with Josh Hart. Hart, DiVincenzo’s college teammate at Villanova, has a $13 million player option for 2023-24. He was widely expected to opt out of the deal and become a free agent. But the Knicks and Hart recently agreed to push the date to decide on the option to Thursday. This suggests that Hart’s decision could impact a corresponding move for New York. I assume that corresponding move involves making a run at DiVincenzo. 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.
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
Where does Hart figure in?
If Hart opts in to the final year of his contract, it would give the Knicks more room before the first apron of $172 million.
That room is important if a team executes a transaction that gives them a ‘hard-cap’ at the first apron. This means they would not be able to spend above $172 million in team salary.
One transaction that caps a team at the first apron? Using the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. The Knicks would use the exception to sign DiVincenzo (or another player). If they did, the Knicks would not be able to spend more than $172 million in team salary.
There is another transaction that caps a team at the first apron: a trade in which the Knicks accept a player via sign-and-trade or a trade in which they take back more than 110 percent of the salary they send out.
The Knicks currently have $160 million in salary for 2023-24 (including cap holds and the Hart opt-in).
So signing a player to the full midlevel exception puts them right around the apron. (An aside, Jeremy Cohen does a great job explaining potential cap scenarios in the Knicks Film School podcast. Cohen breaks down the impact of the Hart option in this episode)
WHAT WOULD HE BRING?
DiVincenzo averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season with the Warriors. He put up those numbers in just 26 minutes per game. He also hit 39.7 percent of his three-point attempts last years, trailing only Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in that category.
If he can replicate that shooting, DiVincenzo would help the Knicks space the floor. DiVincenzo, a college teammate of Jalen Brunson, is also a strong cutter on offense.
On the other side of the ball, DiVincenzo is viewed as a strong team defender who is adept off the ball, navigating screens and defending passing lanes. The 6-4 guard is also an exceptionally strong rebounder for his position.
“Donte’s been one of our best players night in and night out,” Steve Kerr said last season after a Warriors win over Milwaukee.
HOW WOULD IT IMPACT THE REST OF THE ROSTER?
DiVincenzo’s skill set seems similar to Hart’s. But it seems like you can’t have enough guards/wings who can defend and shoot in today’s NBA. DiVincenzo and Hart both are versatile enough to defend multiple positions.
So the Knick coaching staff can work both players into the rotation in various ways.
The problem is finding a spot in the rotation for DiVincenzo. Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks turned their season around last year when they went to a nine-man rotation. All nine players are under contract for next season. If they add DiVincenzo, the Knicks could play a 10-man rotation in 2023-24. But that seems unlikely, based on the success they had last year when playing nine men.
So if they sign DiVincenzo, the Knicks may be looking to open a rotation spot via trade. Evan Fournier’s expiring contract has high value on the trade market. So perhaps Fournier could be paired with a rotation player (or two) to open up that spot for DiVincenzo.