Golden State Warriors given A+ for Donte DiVincenzo signing

For most fans, it’s been a discouraging first few days of free agency. The Golden State Warriors were unable to retain fan-favorite guard Gary Payton II and also managed to lose forward Otto Porter Jr.

Both players had their careers revived by Golden State as they were instrumental parts of the Dubs championship run. The Warriors did their best to return some firepower to their second unit with the signing of Kings guard Donte DiVincenzo.

The Golden State Warriors were unable to retain Gary Payton II, so they signed Donte DiVincenzo. Bleacher Report gave them an A+ for it.

DiVincenzo was drafted by the Bucks with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He was a rotational player for them during last season’s championship run. The 25-year-old was then added as part of a four-team trade.

His stint with the Kings didn’t last long as he left in free agency, inking a two-year, $9.3 million deal with the Warriors. DiVincenzo should be the top shooting guard off the bench with Poole as the second unit’s main scorer.

Here is just a small portion of what Bleacher Report’s Dan Fanvale wrote while giving Golden State an A+ for the signing. He also took part in grading many of the free agency moves in the same column.

“If DV both stays healthy and hits enough of his catch-and-shoot triples—which he drilled at 42.2 percent clip after getting traded to Sacramento—the Warriors just scooped up one of free agency’s biggest steals,” Favale wrote.

DiVincenzo was a starter for the Bucks during the 2020-21 season, averaging double figures. His 10.4 points per game that season still stands as his career-high.

DiVincenzo also shot 38% from deep during that season which is something the Warriors will be looking to him getting back to as he’ll more than likely be getting open looks in the Dubs motion-based offense.

While not particularly close to the elite defender that Payton II is, DiVincenzo does offer some resistance on that end of the court and should serve as a solid 3-and-D option for the Warriors bench.

An athletic 6-foot-4, he offers a different yet similar skill set to Payton II and was a cheaper option, helping keep the Warriors out of deepening their luxury tax which is already setting league records.

Overall, adding DiVincenzo was a huge win-win situation, especially since the news of Payton II’s departure had already broken.