Donte DiVincenzo doesn’t appear to be in a rush to make a decision.
As other free agents flew off the board once 6 p.m. rolled around, the Knicks’ top free-agent target scheduled four meetings Friday and Saturday, a source confirmed.
While the Knicks are believed to be the favorite, DiVincenzo has also been linked in reports to the Bulls, Timberwolves, Magic and others.
Another target for the Knicks, Bruce Brown Jr., signed a two-year, $45 million deal with the Pacers, according to ESPN, a big-money deal the Knicks were unable to match because of their position with the salary cap.
The Knicks have the full $12.4 million mid-level exception to use on DiVincenzo after his former college teammate, Josh Hart, opted into the final year of his contract.
There was some belief that Brown, a key reserve for the NBA champion Nuggets, would get in the ballpark of the mid-level exception, but Indiana changed that.
The 6-foot-4 DiVincenzo was part of two national title teams with Jalen Brunson at Villanova and one with Hart, and is known as a strong two-way player who puts the team first, similar to Brunson and Hart.
He was actually the highest draft pick of the three, going 17th overall to the Bucks in 2018, after a breakout NCAA Tournament in which he was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
DiVincenzo, 26, is coming off a strong year with the Warriors, one in which he shot a career-best 39.7 percent from 3-point range and averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes per game.
DiVincenzo, 26, posted a positive 2.9 NET rating, meaning the Warriors outscored the opposition by 2.9 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.
Across his five-year NBA career, DiVincenzo is averaging 9.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and has shot 36.2 percent from deep over 24.3 minutes for the Bucks, Kings and Warriors.
“He would fit I think well [with the Knicks]. He would give them another tough, hard-nosed player,” said Daniel Marks, a former Bucks scout during DiVincenzo’s time there who now serves as chief program strategist with Howard University’s men’s basketball program. “Obviously, you got Jalen Brunson, you got Josh Hart. These are both guys that he’s familiar with. Those are types of players [Tom] Thibodeau likes.
“He’s in the mold of a guy that Thibs likes and that Thibs leans on. Some of the stuff that kept Evan Fournier out of the lineup, lacking competitiveness defensively and lack of ability to impact the game without scoring, Donte will make an impact on the game even if he doesn’t score a lot of points.”