Fresh off their fourth title in eight seasons, the Warriors’ roster took a bit of a hit when free agency began.
While its core is still intact, Golden State lost two key rotation players to free agency when Otto Porter Jr. elected to sign with the Raptors and Gary Payton II took his talents to his hometown Trail Blazers.
That left the reigning champions with holes to fill on their bench, and while there will be an expectation for their young core of Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody to step up, a team with title aspirations also needs win-now players to contribute to the rotation.
It didn’t take the Warriors very long to find their Payton replacement, as Donte DiVincenzo signed a two-year, $9.3 million deal a few days later to give Golden State a similar athletic presence in its backcourt.
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Less than $5 million a year for a 25-year-old guard who was the No. 17 overall pick in the NBA Draft just four years ago? That sounds like it has the potential to be the best value signing of free agency to me.
Donte DiVincenzo’s path to the Warriors
Coming off a 31-point performance to win the national championship at Villanova, DiVincenzo’s draft stock soared to the point that the combo guard was nearly selected as a lottery pick.
He didn’t play much for a title-contending Bucks team as a rookie, but he quickly carved out a role in his second season before becoming a full-time starter in Year 3.
In what was his last healthy season in 2020-21, DiVincenzo averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range as Milwaukee’s starting shooting guard.
His ability to play on or off the ball, shoot and defend on the perimeter at a high level and make an impact as an athlete on the glass and running in transition made him a jack-of-all-trades for the Bucks, but DiVincenzo suffered a serious foot injury in the third game of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. As a result, his fingerprints weren’t on Milwaukee’s title run the way they could have been, but he’ll look to make a similar impact with this year’s defending champions.
His potential and do-it-all style of play are exactly why two of the franchise’s leaders, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, “put the full-court press” on DiVincenzo to come to Golden State.
“Steph and I definitely put the full-court press on Donte and understand how important that addition is,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Podcast” after the signing.
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“With losing [Payton], you add another wing who can defend. Donte can shoot the ball. I think he’s going to get more open shots with us than he’s ever gotten, and that’ll be absolutely incredible.
“I think he’ll have an opportunity to show his athletic ability. I think this will be very good for Donte, and I think this will be really good for the Warriors, so I’m absolutely happy about that signing.”
What Donte DiVincenzo brings to the Warriors
DiVincenzo is 6-4, 203 pounds with a 6-6 wingspan. He’s a plus-athlete with a 42-inch max vertical leap, fluid speed and a confident array of shot creation skills.
He’s a career 34.7 percent 3-point shooter, and he shot a solid 38.1 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers during his last fully healthy season when he played alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Like Green mentioned, you’d have to assume he’ll have quality looks next to guys like Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.
When considering his ability to fill multiple roles, look no further than DiVincenzo’s single-game career-highs in certain stat categories through his first four seasons.
| Stat | Career-high |
| Points | 24 |
| Rebounds | 15 |
| Assists | 9 |
| 3-pointers made | 6 |
| Steals | 5 |
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With an ability to put up over 20 points, grab double-digit rebounds, make plays for others, shoot from the perimeter and lock up defensively, it’s hard not to get excited about what the Warriors’ renowned player development program could do with a player like DiVincenzo.
He wasn’t as coveted in free agency as one may have once expected because his stock took a bit of a hit when he struggled with the Kings after being traded by the Bucks at the deadline.
But his time in Sacramento was an odd scenario. His agent reportedly criticized how DiVincenzo was being handled, accusing the Kings’ coaches and front office of trying to “limit his value” heading into free agency.
When Green and Curry came calling, though, DiVincenzo knew the Warriors were the team for him.
“It came down to culture and environment for me,” DiVincenzo said when asked why he chose Golden State. “When I think long-term of my career, I want to be in this league for a very long time, and you just see what the Warriors have done with certain guys who have come in.
“You look at Otto last year, you look at [Payton], they’ve done amazing jobs of developing those guys.”
DiVincenzo will look to be the next diamond-in-the-rough find by a dynasty that appears to be far from over.
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