Donte DiVincenzo didn’t appear too pleased after being included in the New York Knicks‘ blockbuster trade for Minnesota Timberwolves NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. As fate would have it, the Timberwolves faced the Knicks in their third preseason game, giving DiVincenzo the chance to confront his former coach, Tom Thibodeau, and assistant coach Rick Brunson.
DiVicenzo didn’t waste any time. The guard, who was in charge of executing a free throw for the Timberwolves in the first quarter with 6 minutes remaining on the clock, took the chance to face his former coach Thibodeau.
“Thank you for the trade Thibs. Thank you for the trade… that’s what happens when they let you run the show. That’s what happens when they let you run the show,” said DiVicenzo before calmly sinking the foul shot.
The discussion didn’t end there. After the conclusion of the match “Donte DiVincenzo and coach assistant Rick Brunson (Jalen’s dad) appeared to have a heated exchange after the game“, as Stefan Bondy wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The microphones weren’t able to catch the moment, but both player and assistant had to be separated before heading to the locker room.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks talks with Miles McBride #2, Donte DiVincenzo #0, and Jalen Brunson #11 during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden on April 04, 2024 in New York City. The Knicks won 120-109.
DiVincenzo, who was reportedly “very unhappy” about his role with the Knicks before the KAT trade, was a key piece in the deal along with Julius Randle. His confrontations with Thibodeau and Brunson seem to confirm his frustrations as he now adjusts to his new team in Minnesota.
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Prior to the trade, rumors circulated that DiVincenzo was upset about being moved to the bench after the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges. However, in an interview with The New York Post, DiVincenzo dismissed those claims.
“Obviously everyone wants to start coming off the season I had last year, but I also understand that there’s different lineups and different combinations that teams want to get to – I understand that. It was never a thing of, ‘Oh, we got Mikal, I’m pissed off.’ I was super excited.”
DiVincenzo also spoke about the expectations he had with the Knicks ahead of the season. “I was super excited because we have a very good player coming back to the team. And you get OG (Anunoby) back, now you’re looking at, ‘Wow we’re going to be really good.’ There was never a conversation of my role was going to be diminished. It was the outside assumption and ran with it and it was untrue,” he stated.
