Knicks agree with Donte DiVincenzo, another from Villanova champions
After the flurry of free-agency activity cleared and more than $2 billion in contracts were handed out, the Knicks joined in on the action and got the player they targeted from the beginning, Donte DiVincenzo.
A league source confirmed that the Knicks and DiVincenzo have agreed on a four-year, $50 million deal that cannot become official until Thursday. The signing of DiVincenzo adds another member of the 2016 Villanova national championship squad, joining Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on the Knicks’ roster. When the news broke, Brunson tweeted, “Who?” And Hart tweeted out, “Yo @mikal_bridges hit my phone bro,” in reference to the Nets star, another Villanova alum — either to brag that they landed DiVincenzo or to try to lure him across the river to Madison Square Garden, too.
With the trade earlier in the day of Obi Toppin, DiVincenzo will step in as the rotation piece vacated by Toppin’s departure.
A tough defensive player who connected on a career-high 39.7% from three-point range, he has extensive postseason experience with Milwaukee and Golden State in 26 playoff games.
The 26-year-old is 6-4, so he doesn’t fill the size that Toppin provided as a backup power forward. Unless the Knicks add someone else to the roster, Tom Thibodeau likely will resort to using Hart — also 6-4 — and RJ Barrett to fill the limited minutes behind Julius Randle.
The Knicks also had scheduled a meeting with Denver’s Bruce Brown, but he was overwhelmed by a two-year, $45 million offer from the Indiana Pacers that he jumped at, leaving the Knicks to push harder in their pursuit of DiVincenzo.
The Knicks already were over the salary cap and used the $12.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception to sign DiVincenzo. They remain $4 million below the luxury tax line and $6.6 million under the first apron/hard cap of the CBA.
— STEVE POPPER