Knicks may have traded Donte DiVincenzo for this reason

The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves agreed on a blockbuster trade Friday night, with the Wolves sending Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, and the Knicks sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota.

DiVincenzo, along with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, who the Knicks traded for in July, were poised to be known as the Nova Knicks. With the departure of DiVincenzo, the Nova Knicks are no more, having played no games together.

According to SNY's Ian Begley, DiVincenzo was reportedly unhappy with what his role was going to look like this season, a potential reason the Knicks included him in the trade.

"But with the moves made this offseason, DiVincenzo was probably going to be coming off the bench this season," Begley said. "Bridges would likely have taken his spot in the starting lineup. I can say confidently that DiVincenzo didn’t exactly love the idea of playing fewer minutes/a reduced role this season."

"He was coming off of a career year and helped the team win a ton of games when it was shorthanded," Begley added. "I don’t think any competitor would be thrilled with the idea of taking a reduced role in this situation."

DiVincenzo averaged a career-best 15.5 points per game, along with 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season. Despite only playing one year with the Knicks, he will be remembered fondly in New York for his game winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers in game 2 of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Minnesota had interest in DiVincenzo last offseason when he was a free agent. With the loss of Towns' three-point shooting, DiVincenzo's shot-making ability is a great replacement for one of the best shooting big men in the league. DiVincenzo made 3.5 three-pointers per game in 2024.

DiVincenzo's role with the Timberwolves is likely to be the same as it was going to be with the Knicks; the team's sixth man.