2023 NBA free agency tracker: Donte DiVincenzo agrees to deal with Knicks

When the Warriors were eliminated from the Western Conference semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all vowed that it wouldn’t be the end of their Warriors dynasty.

Green signed a four-year, $100 million deal with a player option in the fourth year to lock in one big piece and their biggest priority within minutes of free agency opening up on Friday afternoon.

Green’s name has been linked to several Western Conference teams in the lead up to free agency, but it seemed inevitable he would return to Golden State for his 12th season, especially after the Warriors pulled off a blockbuster trade in the hours leading up to the 2023 NBA draft last week.

In Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s first move as general manager, Golden State agreed to send Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to the Washington Wizards for future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul.

The trade further signaled the Warriors’ commitment to win now.

The Warriors weren’t a championship team last season, but retooling their roster will be tricky. The Warriors were well above the second tax apron, even before potentially re-signing Green. That means they have little options to bring in outside talent. The mid-level exemption, which they used on Donte DiVincenzo last offseason, won’t be at their disposal this time around.

As of now, Golden State’s only ways to add players are through trades or with veteran minimum signings.

Here’s the latest Warriors news in free agency:

Donte DiVincenzo agrees to deal with Knicks

A strong season with the Warriors earned DiVincenzo a nice payday outside the Bay.

Days after he turned down a $4.7 million player option for next weekend, DiVincenzo agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with the New York Knicks, sources confirmed. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news Saturday evening.

DiVincenzo, 26, got what he wanted after signing with the Warriors last summer. After playing a key role for the 2021 championship-winning Milwaukee Bucks before tearing a ligament in his ankle in the first round of the playoffs, DiVincenzo struggled to return to form during the 2021-22 campaign and was eventualy traded to the Sacramento Kings.

Before this season, DiVincenzo said he felt like he ran out of time last season as he chased his pre-injury self.

DiVincenzo got his career back on track with the Warriors, shooting a career-high 39.7% from 3 on 5.3 attempts per game. He also averaged 9.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 72 games (36 starts) last season.

DiVincenzo will join his former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in New York City next season.

Ty Jerome is heading to Cleveland

Ty Jerome’s time with the Warriors is coming to an end.

Jerome has inked his first guaranteed NBA deal, and it’s not with Golden State.

On the second day of NBA free agency, Jerome agreed to a two-year, $5 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday afternoon. The 25-year-old guard’s departure leaves the Warriors in need of picking up another guard to shore up its backcourt depth.

Jerome was ineligible for another two-way deal, but the Warriors had expressed interest in bringing him back. They extended him a $1.7 million qualifying offer at the deadline Thursday, which made him a restricted free agent. But the Cavaliers offered him a deal that the Warriors couldn’t match.

Being an older, more experienced player, Jerome quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff last season and helped shoulder some of the backup guard duties when Stephen Curry was out. In 45 games (two starts) with Golden State, Jerome averaged 6.9 points and three assists, while shooting 48.8% from the field and 38.9% from deep.

Draymond Green returns

Within the first minute of free agency opening up at 3 p.m. PT, Green and the Warriors came to terms on a four-year, $100 million contract with a player option in the fourth year for him to return to the team that drafted him in 2012. The deal keeps Green alongside Curry until, at least, Curry’s four-year, $215.3 million contract set to expire after the 2025-26 season. The final piece of the dynastic trio that’s won four titles together, Klay Thompson, is entering the final year of his five-year, $189.9 million contract this year, but there have been no rumblings on an extension yet.

Green has been the defensive anchor and key pillar to the dynasty alongside Curry and Thompson. The biggest question for Green will be how his body holds up during the final years of this dynasty; the 33-year-old will be 36 by the time he reaches his player option year and 37 by the time he reaches free agency. Green takes the physical brunt of the team’s defensive effort as an undersized, free safety defender who uses his lower body to irritate bigger players.

Green, Curry and Thompson are among the five current NBA players — including Portland’s Damian Lillard and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo — who have spent at least 10 years with the one franchise that drafted them. Curry leads the pack entering his 15th season. Green will enter his 12th year with the Warriors.