Donte DiVincenzo, a Knicks target, expects to meet with other teams
Golden State's Donte DiVincenzo tries to keep a play alive against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at the Chase Center on May 4, 2023. Credit: TNS/Nhat V. Meyer
At least there was no reason to issue an apology to fans this time.
The opening of the free-agent market arrived at 6 p.m. Friday and the Knicks were not left in the lurch by their usual star chase, thanks to a combination of factors. There is no surplus of salary-cap space for them this time. There is a marginal group of free agents — more role players on the market than stars without blemishes. There was the usual flurry of activity, with most of the deals meaning a return to current teams.
But most important to the Knicks’ roster-building, the player they targeted, Donte DiVincenzo, wasn’t making an immediate decision. He chose to take his time while sitting for meetings with a number of teams, according to a league source. But one cautionary note arrived as Bruce Brown, another player the Knicks seemed a fit for, left Denver to join the Indiana Pacers on a two-year, $45 million contract, nearly doubling the salary the Knicks can pay.
The Knicks are over the cap, and thanks to Josh Hart picking up his $12.9 million player option Thursday, they have the $12.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception available — but no rush to use it. The question is not just will DiVincenzo be lured by the chance to unite with his former Villanova teammates, Jalen Brunson and Hart, but will the Knicks commit to paying that and restricting their ability to make other moves.
This was not a heartbreaking period for the Knicks’ front office, as it was a few years back when they watched Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving head elsewhere before the official start time even arrived. The other star search targets escaped the Knicks’ grasp, too.
They are still in search of a star to lift them to another level, but that is not coming in this free-agent market as they instead investigate adding a role player to the rotation.
The quest for the Knicks this summer remains working the trade market, trying to find a star but also trying to move their own contracts to create space for new pieces.
The Knicks, as they have since the February trade deadline, are shopping Obi Toppin, hoping to clear him out of the salary cap.
They also are looking to include Evan Fournier’s $18.9 million expiring contract, and a league source indicated that they would prefer to do that now rather than hanging on until the in-season deadline.
Last summer, the Knicks came out winners in free agency, signing Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein.
“New York has been amazing and the fans have been amazing,” Brunson said when the season concluded with a playoff loss in Miami. “I’m already excited about next year.”
Speaking on Paul George’s podcast last week, Julius Randle echoed that enthusiasm for using this past season as a building block: “We’re not that far off. That’s motivating for me.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
