Donte DiVincenzo one step closer to departing Golden State Warriors after free agency call

Following the shocking departure of Jordan Poole in a draft day trade for Chris Paul last Thursday, the Golden State Warriors are set to lose another key role player when free agency begins on Friday.

Unsurprisingly, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews has reported that Warrior guard Donte DiVincenzo will not pick up his $4.7 million player option for next season, meaning the 26-year-old will enter unrestricted free agency.

With Donte DiVincenzo set to find a new home this summer, the Golden State Warriors will have to fill out their roster with veteran talent on a budget in free agency.

DiVincenzo signed a two-year, $9.2 million (second-year player option) with the Warriors last offseason. Having thoroughly outplayed that deal in 2022-23, it’s no surprise that the former Villanova product has drawn a lot of interest in free agency.

DiVincenzo was everything Dubs’ fans love in their typical role players — a true two-way competitor who earned his minutes by doing all the dirty work. One of the Golden State’s more reliable bench options this season, DiVincenzo suited up for 72 games, averaging 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He was a reliable 3-and-D option who provided a much-needed spark off the Warrior bench, playing elite on-ball defense while shooting at nearly a 40% clip from beyond the arc.

The Warriors can offer DiVincenzo 120% of his 2022-23 salary — so around $5.4 million. With the New York Knicks and others potentially in the mix for his services, Golden State are likely to be blown out of the water in a deal that exceeds $10 million annually.

Losing both DiVincenzo and Poole, two guys who could be trusted to run an offense and play off the ball, means that the Warriors are now pretty thin at the guard position. The addition of Chris Paul gives the Warriors a true floor general to lead the second unit, but outside of Steph Curry and CP3, Golden State is fairly limited in the backcourt.

It’s possible that Moses Moody takes another step in his development, and recent first-round pick Brandin Podziemski could even impress coaches enough to crack the rotation. However, Golden State’s recent moves are an indication of their ‘win-now’ mentality, and this is not the season for the Warriors to practice patience. Rather they should be targeting veteran leadership when free agency officially begins later this week.

Extending Draymond Green remains Golden State’s focus as free agency rapidly approaches, but the Warriors will have more work to do if they want to build their ideal championship-contending roster.