Knicks fans can officially stop dreaming about unionization after latest report

The Karl-Anthony Towns trade threw New York Knicks fans for a loop, and fans around the NBA were also thrown for a loop when the deal happened a few days before training camp.

It was hard for some fans to accept that Julius Randle would be leaving New York after five seasons, but the writing was on the wall after he and the Knicks failed to agree on an extension. The biggest surprise of the trade was that Donte DiVincenzo would go to the Timberwolves with Randle. He spent just one season in New York after signing a four-year contract in 2023 free agency.

The Villanova Knicks are still alive and well, but it’s not the same without DiVincenzo. His one season with the Knicks couldn’t have gone any better than it did. He averaged a career-high 15.5 points on 44.3% shooting from the field and 40.1% from three (another career-best).

A report claimed that DiVincenzo wasn’t happy in New York and didn’t want to come off the bench after the Mikal Bridges trade, but that turned out to be untrue. DiVincenzo said he was looking forward to playing with Bridges. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

To say the beginning of DiVincenzo’s start in Minnesota has been rocky would be an understatement. He averages 9.6 points per game. game on 35.6% shooting from the field and 33.3% from deep. He doesn’t look like the player he was in New York.

DiVincenzo has struggled to the point where a rumor was floating around that Minnesota was open to trading him. NBA Insider Marc Stein proved otherwise in its latest report (subscription required). Stein wrote:

“I saw all kinds of Twitter chatter Friday about the supposed status of Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo as a trade target for contending teams. It goes against everything I’ve heard about the Wolves, who wanted DiVincenzo for more than a year before they actually bought him and are said to have zero interest in making inquiries about him not yet three full months into his Wolves tenure.”

The rumor led to Knicks fans dreaming of New York acquiring DiVincenzo before the deadline. It was a distant dream from the start. Making a trade is more challenging for the Knicks as a team compared to the first tax front. The team cannot receive more money than it sends out.

Would it be nice to have DiVincenzo on the roster again? Absolutely. He has struggled in Minnesota, but you can’t write him off after a month with a new team. It’s not like he had the offseason to train with his new teammates.

More than anyone, Knicks fans know what DiVincenzo is capable of. It’s unreasonable to assume he’ll return to that play with the Timberwolves, but he’ll likely find his stride soon.