New York fans had high hopes for a grand reunion at the Knicks camp this season. With Mikal Bridges joining the roster, it seemed like the former Villanova teammates might get a chance to relive their college championship success. However, that dream was shattered before it could even begin, as Donte DiVincenzo left the team before setting foot on the hardwood. But why was the shooting guard traded? Ian Begley of SNY has offered a potential explanation.

The NBA Insider wrote, “With the moves made this offseason, DiVincenzo was probably going to be coming off the bench this season. Bridges would likely have taken his spot in the starting lineup.”

Highlighting the probable reason, he continued, “I can say confidently that DiVincenzo didn’t exactly love the idea of playing fewer minutes/a reduced role this season. He was coming off of a career year and helped the team win a ton of games when it was shorthanded.”

Julius Randle, who was expected to return next season following his season-ending, joined DiVincenzo on his journey to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return, the Wolves let go of Karl-Anthony Towns. Although their exit was a big blow, the Knicks felt KAT could fit perfectly with their core team and would provide the team an upper hand over their rivals. KAT’s inclusion also sorts out their lack of depth in the center position following Isaiah Hartenstein’s exit. On the flip side, veteran columnist Skip Bayless believes that the trump cards have been given to the T’Wolves.

Skip Bayless says Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle deal would benefit Timberwolves

The trade was quite unexpected for both team’s fans. While parting ways with Towns after nine seasons was a hard task for the Minnesota fans, Skip Bayless gave them hope by stating that they had the advantage in the deal.

“I like this trade slightly more for Minnesota because there is just something about Karl-Anthony Towns that I never could quite love. Some fake tough guy in him,” Bayless said. “Never quite mentally and physically tough enough to match his talent.” Well, the man is widely known for his odd opinions, so he cannot be blamed. Underlining the feasible thought that the Minnesota franchise had, the journalist stated, “‘Let’s add a mentally and physically tougher player in Julius Randle’…But hey, if you throw in Donte-D [DiVincenzo] to Minnesota, some of that Nova toughness…I say, advantage T-Wolves.”

In a season with the Knicks, DiVincenzo suited up 81 times, which shows the kind of toughness Bayless spoke about. Besides having commendable fitness, the 2021 champion maintained his shooting skills above 40% from the field and the deep, which helped the Knicks with an edge multiple times throughout the season. Even in the playoffs, DiVincenzo stunned the NBA community by shooting nine 3-pointers against the Pacers in the semi-final series.

Despite DiVincenzo’s 39-point heroics in the game, the NY side couldn’t keep up with Indiana. However, Anthony Edwards and Co. could utilize his and Randle’s phenomenal potential to the best of their abilities. And maybe this time, the young team could reach their final goal with a brilliant roster. Further details of the deal are yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, but expect the respective trade pieces to be involved in the preseason.