Ask any Knicks fan about who their favorite Knicks are this decade, and you’ll have a hard time finding one that doesn’t have Donte DiVincenzo in their top three or top five, which is pretty crazy to think about since he only played one season in New York. But it’s understandable.
Not only was DiVincenzo a former Villanova Wildcat, he set the Knicks’ single-season three-point record, did so while playing hard every single possession, showed up in the biggest moments, didn’t back down from anyone, and made one of the most significant shots in Knicks history. And because of that, fans have expressed an immense amount of excitement about the report that New York had exploratory conversations with Minnesota surrounding DiVincenzo.
Now, for a warning, there doesn’t seem to be any real traction yet so fans would be wise to be cautious before getting too thrilled about a Donate return. That being said, bringing the former Knick back, and reuniting him with his former teammates to create the Villanova core four would be amazing.
That move would give New York another guard/wing, albeit not a big or lengthy one like they need. And his combination of cutting, and shooting, especially with the kind of willingness, and range he has, could potentially catapult the Knicks’ second ranked offensive rating into maybe the best the league has ever seen.
Adding DiVincenzo and his contract would also give the Knicks another enticing piece to potentially package again in a trade later down the road.
All of that said, and unfortunately, there isn’t an easy path to acquiring the Timberwolves’ sharpshooter.
As things stand right now, trading for Donte likely means parting ways with Mitchell Robinson or Josh Hart, two players who are pivotal to the Knicks’ recent success. Robinson, despite his early season minutes restriction and free throw woes, has been one of the most impactful players on the team over the last couple seasons, and Hart, with his newly-improved shot, has become a much more impactful player again this season. Given the former’s playoff impact, and his ability to survive multiple years of trade rumors, and the latter’s renewed confidence and his closeness to Brunson, it seems unlikely that this gets done.
Obviously, anything can happen. The Knicks could look at Robinson’s free throw struggles, and injury concerns, or they surprise people and sell high on Hart, which I would not count on. Plus there’s always the possibility a third team steps in to help facilitate the trade.
But if, and that’s a big if as of now, the Knicks do decide to go that route, it does create a whole new issue. By trading Robinson, who feels like the more likely of the two to get traded, would mean losing what little big man depth the team has. And unless you are comfortable with second-year man Ariel Hukporti being the backup big for a team looking to win it all, then you find yourself with, possibly, an even bigger weakness.