Getty
Jalen Brunson #11 and Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the New York Knicks celebrate during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on April 14, 2024 in New York City.
While Donte DiVincenzo has fared a lot better in his second year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, there has been speculation of the New York Knicks pursuing a reunion with the veteran sharpshooter.
SNY’s Ian Begley provided an update on a potential Knicks trade for DiVincenzo ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
“I’ve dug around on this a little bit, and I have not, from either side, haven’t heard that there’s anything significant going on right now,” Begley reported on “The Putback” podcast on Tuesday.
“And basically, both sides are kind of downplaying the possibility of it. Neither side sees it as a realistic endpoint right now.”
Donte DiVincenzo to Knicks Rumors
The chatter of DiVincenzo reuniting with the Vinnaova trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges began after ClutchPoints’ Kris Pursiainen reported recently that the Knicks have had “exploratory discussions” with the Timberwolves on a potential deal. The report added that the Knicks were also pursuing a deal for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, with hopes of shoring up their backcourt for a playoff run, and that they reached out to the Timberwolves about a DiVincenzo reunion last year, too.
“New York’s interest in a reunion with its Villanova-educated playoff hero dates back to last season, when the team had some internal discussions about re-acquiring DiVincenzo,” Pursiainen reported on Dec. 12.
DiVincenzo, who landed in Minnesota as part of the blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns to Knicks trade last year, struggled to find a consistent role in his first year with his new team. He started only 10 games and averaged under 12 points for Chris Finch’s team.
This season, though, the sharpshooter has started all 30 games for the Timberwolves, while making 3.1 threes per game at a nice clip of 39%. He’s also second on the team in net rating, with the Timberwolves outscoring opponents by 5.1 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. The veteran guard has also excelled defensively.
Getting More Comfortable in Minnesota
With DiVincenzo finding his footing, one wonders if the Timberwolves would truly be willing to part with him, especially since they lack consistent shooting in the starting unit, save for him and Anthony Edwards.
DiVincenzo became a crowd favorite during his solitary season with the Knicks in 2022-23, when he averaged a career-high 15.5 points and 3.5 made threes at 40% shooting. Besides setting a Knicks franchise record for most threes in a season (283), he ranked third in the NBA in made threes, behind only Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic.
That’s why a large portion of the Knicks fanbase was heartbroken when DiVincenzo was shipped off to Minnesota, even if it landed them an All-Star in Towns. Even Knicks captain Jalen Brunson was very sad to see one of his best friends leave town.
“It was definitely tough,” Brunson said of DiVincenzo getting traded.
“Donte — he was a groomsman at my wedding,” Brunson revealed. “That should tell you everything about our relationship. Love him to death.”
The Knicks are shopping offseason acquisition Guerschon Yabusele ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, per The Athletic’s James Edwards III.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
More Heavy on Knicks
Loading more stories