The Golden State Warriors are bringing in a former NBA champion to fill the void left by Gary Payton II and Otto Porter.
The Golden State Warriors won their fourth NBA title in eight years after defeating the Boston Celtics in six games. With that, those that wer on the team that were impending free agents were bound to cash in on contracts with new teams. That is exactly what happened after Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. left for the Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors, respectively.
With voids in the backcourt, the Warriors have made an addition.
According to ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors are signing former NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, Donte DiVincenzo, to a two-year, $9.3 million contract.
Warriors sign former NBA champion Donte DiVincenzo
DiVincenzo, a member of the 2016 and 2018 Villanova teams that won the NCAA National Championship, was selected with the 17th-overall pick by the Bucks in the 2018 NBA Draft.
After being an option off the bench for the first two years of his career, he started in all 66 games for Milwaukee in the 2020-21 season. DiVincenzo played in the first round against the Miami Heat, but missed the remainder of the playoffs due to a torn ligament in his left ankle. Milwaukee went on to win the NBA Championship after defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games.
The Bucks traded DiVincenzo to the Sacramento Kings in a four-team trade that brought Serge Ibaka to Milwaukee. Through 25 games with the Kings, DiVincenzo averaged 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while posting a field goal percentage of 36.2 and a three-point percentage of 36.8.
Payton agreed to terms with the Trail Blazers on a three-year, $28 million contract. Meanwhile, Porter Jr. agreed to a two-year deal with the Raptors, with the second year being a player option.
After losing both Porter and Payton, the Warriors are bringing in DiVincenzo. It will remain to be seen what they do next this offseason.