In just the second season of trading away Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to land Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks have ended a 53-year draught and won an NBA championship. And even though the Villanova trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges were at the core of this win, it felt incomplete without the fourth Villanova Knick, Donte DiVincenzo.
After winning the NBA championship, Ramona Shelbourne, an NBA insider at ESPN, revealed that the Knicks’ front office was devastated upon hearing from the Timberwolves’ front office that no deal for Karl-Anthony Towns would have been possible without including Donte DiVincenzo in the package.
“Including DiVincenzo in the trade crushed Rose, team sources said. Rose loved the way DiVincenzo, the fourth Villanova Knick, played and understood how losing him would affect personal relationships on the team.”
“But Minnesota wouldn’t do the trade without him, and Rose believed Towns would be a perfect complement for Brunson’s skill set,” reported Shelbourne.
The college connection of the core trio has become a big talking point in terms of converting their experience of winning two NCAA titles together into an NBA championship.
Therefore, the biggest what-if that comes with it is whether they could have accomplished the same with Donte DiVincenzo on their roster. But the Timberwolves did not let that become a reality and forced the Knicks’ front office to part ways with DiVincenzo to land Towns in 2024.
But in hindsight, the move for Towns was a solid move, as he was one of the primary options the Knicks had for any counter-strategies for Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Finals series.
Moreover, Towns was in the Finals MVP discussion before Jalen Brunson clinched the award. Therefore, the move to add Karl-Anthony Towns was certainly the right move, but the Knicks just did not like the cost they had to pay for it.
During his time with the Knicks, DiVincenzo averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 40.4% from beyond the arc in the 94 games he played (81 regular season games and 13 in the playoffs).
He is expected to now be sidelined for the entire next season with the Timberwolves after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in the 2025-26 playoffs.
Knicks Players Address College Connection After Winning NBA Championship
Following the Knicks’ championship win, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges addressed what it felt like to do that with the same trio that won two NCAA titles in college.
“Being able to win with Mikal and Josh, it’s a great feeling,” Jalen Brunson said.
“Knowing that I got to meet them at a young age and we were able to grow as friends, as teammates in college, and be able to achieve something in college, and then to be able to do this at this level is just as special, maybe a little more special.”
“Those are my brothers for a lifetime. We have a bond that can never be broken,” Josh Hart said during his press conference.
“Obviously, we won the national championship together, but this one takes the cake. I wouldn’t want to go into a game with anybody else besides them behind my back. I love those guys, and we’ll be friends and brothers for a lifetime,” he further added.
“It’s great. Y’know, I’ve been calling these two my brothers ever since I’ve been with them at Villanova. It’s great to call these other guys my brothers, too,” Mikal Bridges said.
After the press conferences ended, Jalen Brunson sat down with Mallika Andrews of ESPN for an exclusive interview, where she told him that he, Hart, and Bridges have become the first trio to win an NCAA national championship and an NBA title together.
“Wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Brunson.
The Knicks’ parade is set to be conducted on Thursday in Manhattan as the skyline went orange and blue in celebrations last night. While it would have been lovely to see DiVincenzo on this team as well, maybe some things are just not meant to be.
