On June 27, it was reported that Donte DiVincenzo was not picking up his player option with the Golden State Warriors. It would appear that DiVincenzo is unlikely to return to the Bay Area next season.
Speaking on a recent episode of the HoopsHype Podcast, Michael Scotto and The Athletics’ Anthony Slater discussed DiVincenzo’s immediate future, noting how the 26-year-old could ‘double’ what the Warriors can offer him on his next contract.
“Donte DiVincenzo won’t return to the Golden State Warriors, I’m told,” Scotto said. “He’s earned a pay raise. He may double what he could’ve gotten from Golden State. The Knicks are one of a handful of teams interested. When it comes to DiVincenzo, he’s competing in this market for similar money from mid-level exception teams with Bruce Brown and maybe Max Strus.”
DiVincenzo signed a two-year deal worth $9.2 million with the Warriors last summer. The second year of the contract was a player option. DiVincenzo will now look to parlay his strong season in Golden State into a longer-term deal elsewhere in the NBA.
In 72 regular-season games, DiVincenzo produced a statline of 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 39.7% from deep.
With a reputation as a reliable perimeter defender who can also provide floor spacing and secondary playmaking, DiVincenzo could find himself fielding calls from multiple teams around the league this summer. As Slater noted during the podcast episode, DiVincenzo has created a reputation for being a winning player.
“He’s versatile and can play various roles,” Slater said, “He’s well liked in the locker room. He hit the three well last year off the dribble at times even. He’s kind of a secondary playmaker. He rebounds incredibly well for his position. He wins. He won in college. He was on a Bucks team that won the championship. He was a winning component to the Warriors last year.”
It will be interesting to see how the Warriors look to replace DiVincenzo this summer, especially after already trading away Jordan Poole for Chris Paul. Still, DiVincenzo has earned the opportunity to test the free-agent waters and will likely receive a significant pay rise because of it.
