Donte DiVincenzo Separated From Knicks Coach After Heated Exchange In MSG Return

Source: David K Purdy / Getty

The biggest trade of the NBA offseason comes just weeks before the latest campaign tips off on Oct. 22, and not all parties involved are satisfied.

The New York Knicks made a deep run into the 2024 playoffs, and to bolster the already scrappy squad, they traded Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves for big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

KAT has spent his entire near-decade-long career with the Wolves, so this means a fresh start for him and Randle, who’s been plagued by injury. DiVincenzo, however, is coming off a career year, playing an integral part in the playoff berth, and hoping to play with his former Villanova teammates, including Mikal Bridges .

Things got heated when the teams played each other in a preseason game, and DiVincenzo started mouthing off at the Knicks bench when standing at the free-throw line.

“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,” he said while looking at New York’s bench.

Reporters asked him about the exchange with Tom Thibodeau after the game, which he admitted to because they caught him in 4K.

“Obviously, they had me on video saying it,” DiVincenzo told reporters after the game. “I’m not there anymore, I play competitive, I wear my heart on my sleeve and that’s all it was.”

However, it seems like his issue may not have been with the head coach, but rather with assistant coach Rick Brunson, who’s also the father of Jalen Brunson, as the two had to be separated after the game ended.

“My relationship with Jalen, that’s my brother and my best friend,” DiVincenzo said. “That’s a separate relationship. I’ll talk about that privately, and figure everything out. But it is what it is.”

DiVincenzo’s new running mate, Anthony Edwards , even admitted that adding him to the team benefits them but is a huge loss for the Knicks.

“You can’t be mad at him, man,” Edwards said of the guard’s talent. “He makes all the right plays and shoots the cover off the ball. New York is definitely going to miss him.”

See how social media is reacting to the post-trade drama below.