NEW YORK — Everyone was on their best behavior leading up to a preseason game between the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, which just so happened to be played just over two weeks after the two teams agreed to a blockbuster trade on the eve of training camp.
Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo spoke glowingly of their time in New York, said they understood the business part of the league that led to their trade to Minnesota and were excited to compete for a championship with the Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns was all smiles as he greeted his former team, hugging Jaden McDaniels pregame, bumping chests with Rudy Gobert before the opening tip and singing the praises of Anthony Edwards, his teammate for four of his nine seasons with the Wolves.
Then DiVincenzo stepped to the free-throw line in the first quarter and added some spice to a reunion that may have just occurred a little too soon after the deal for everyone involved.
“Can’t finish, right Thibs?” DiVincenzo said, pointing at the Knicks bench as he chirped. “Can’t finish, right?”
DiVincenzo insisted this was a playful interaction with Tom Thibodeau, his coach last season in New York, his best as a pro. The two got along great during their time together with DiVincenzo defending Thibs against the long-running criticism that he is too hard on players to be a success in the modern era.
During the game, some amateur lip readers initially thought that DiVincenzo said, “Thanks for the trade, Thibs,” implying that he had an ax to grind against the organization and the head coach, in particular, for moving him after such a successful season. But he forcefully pushed back on that suggestion, saying he was “giving Thbs a hard time” and did not say anything about a trade. But DiVincenzo did say something else after he chided Thibodeau about finishing near the rim.
“That’s what happens when they let you run the show,” he continued.
Did you say that part, Donte?
“It was in the general direction,” DiVincenzo said. “Obviously, they had me on video saying it. I’m not there anymore. I play. I’m competitive. I wear my heart on my sleeve. That’s all it was.”
That comment was not directed at Thibodeau, but at assistant coach Rick Brunson, who started firing back at DiVincenzo when the guard volleyed something at the head coach. Brunson is not only the father of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, but a loyal foot soldier for Thibodeau for years, including stints on his staff in Minnesota and Chicago.
Rick Brunson never met a confrontation he didn’t like, and his interaction during the game with DiVincenzo paved the way for a heated exchange between the two of them after the Knicks finished off a 115-110 preseason victory over the Timberwolves.
As both teams gathered near center court after the game with Towns swapping jerseys and shoes with Edwards, Naz Reid dapping up some old friends and DiVincenzo chatting with Villanova classmates Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, Rick Brunson and DiVincenzo started jawing at each other.
Donte DiVincenzo and Rick Brunson had to be separated after exchanging words 😳
This was Donte’s first game back in New York following the trade to Minnesota pic.twitter.com/CDt72FzEkH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 14, 2024
“Just some words. I don’t fully know what was said,” DiVincenzo said after the game. “A lot of people there. But I have no comment on the situation. We’re both grown men and can talk about it privately.”
Jalen Brunson quipped that his friend and his father were exchanging “words of affirmation.” Thibodeau said he didn’t see the interaction but seemed unconcerned.
“Two competitive guys,” Thibodeau said. “Stuff like that does happen.”
DiVincenzo made two things abundantly clear: He has no beef with Thibodeau and he considers Jalen Brunson his best friend. The implication wasn’t lost on anyone. He has respect for Thibodeau and Jalen, but any relationship with Rick Brunson is going to need to be addressed.
“That’s a separate relationship,” DiVincenzo said. “I’ll talk about that privately and figure everything out.”
Even though they are just getting to know DiVincenzo after he was acquired just a few weeks ago, in some ways they already feel like they have him pegged. He has quickly endeared himself from the top of the organization on down, both for the shooting and playmaking that he brings to the table as a player and the toughness and intensity he is instilling in the team.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly wouldn’t engage with the Knicks on trade talks for Towns until they put DiVincenzo into the discussion. Connelly has been chasing him for two years. He thought the Wolves had him in free agency in 2023, but they lost out to New York. Adding a player with his competitive fire was something Connelly was eager to do if he was going to part with a player of KAT’s importance to the franchise.
His teammates and coaches have quickly warmed to him as well, seeing a player who can shoot it from distance, defend multiple positions and make plays for others. And seeing him mix it up with a coach who is known to get in a scrap or two in his day.
“I like the fact that he’s salty,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “Those guys are the guys who you want to go to battle with.”
That it was Brunson in the middle of it carried extra significance for the Timberwolves. Brunson was an assistant under Thibodeau in Minnesota and resigned in 2018 amid allegations of inappropriate conduct with several women.
Now that Towns is in New York, there is not a player or coach remaining from Brunson’s time in Minnesota. But these players already admire DiVincenzo’s toughness and grit, something they could have used last season when they flamed out against Dallas in the Western Conference finals.
DiVincenzo had 15 points, seven assists and three rebounds against the Knicks on Sunday, continuing his strong play this preseason. After trading their best shooter in Towns, the Wolves need DiVincenzo to fill it up from the perimeter, and he has been doing just that. But they have been pleasantly surprised at his ability to create off the dribble, giving them confidence that he can play some point guard when Mike Conley needs a rest as well.
back like he never left. pic.twitter.com/JLUDPenRcD
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 13, 2024
“Incredible,” said Edwards, who scored 31 points and made 8 of 13 3-pointers. “I don’t need the ball. You see it. I’m having fun, man. It’s fun to play with Donte. I haven’t even gotten to play with Julius yet, so we’ll see what that looks like. Playing with Donte, I’m not gonna lie, it’s fun as hell.”
DiVincenzo’s run-in with Brunson was one of several moments of uncharacteristic intensity for a preseason game. Towns was trying to dunk on Reid and flexing after surging past Gobert for a flush. Finch and Thibodeau were riding the officiating crew like it was a playoff game.
“It was a lot of emotions,” said Towns, who had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes. “Some amazing moments and times in nine years of my life in Minnesota, a place that I’ve called home. Guys who are not just teammates to me, but brothers. We were like brothers. It definitely was a wild day, definitely coming to work.”
Towns may have been the most honest of any of the players involved in the trade when he spoke in the lead-up to the game. He spoke of a dinner he recently had with his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods and the oddity of still getting Timberwolves alerts on his phone.
“She looked at me and tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Do you really believe this is our life now?’ ” Towns said earlier in the weekend. “We’re both still in shock. It’s definitely still there.”
Similarly, DiVincenzo couldn’t speak highly enough of his experience with Knicks fans in New York. He became a fan favorite for his hard-nosed play and top-flight shooting, never more so than when he drilled a 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play to beat Philadelphia in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series in April.
“I have so much love for these fans. The energy in there is absolutely amazing,” DiVincenzo said. “That’s where the energy and motivation comes from. … I’ve been traded before. I’ve gone back to the team that I’ve played for. There’s no extra whatever on top of it. But the Garden fans add a little extra to it. It was special.”
While there was a little bit of drama at center court, Edwards and Towns made sure to have their moment off to the side. The two spent time together on Saturday, catching up face-to-face for the first time since Towns was traded on Sept. 27. The two were close throughout their four years together in Minnesota, with Edwards appreciating Towns welcoming him so warmly as the face of the franchise and Towns appreciating Edwards’ eagerness to share the spotlight as his star has risen in the league.
“I told him I don’t care who you already told you’re giving your jersey to, I gotta have it,” Edwards said. “He pretty much just moved everybody else out of the way and let me get the jersey. I appreciate him.”
🐜 x 😼 pic.twitter.com/oR9DbatCz9
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 14, 2024
“It just meant a lot to see him,” Towns said. “Since Day 1, I’ve only wanted to see him do well and reach his potential and exceed that in the NBA. To see the trajectory he’s on makes me proud.”
It does not feel remotely normal yet, seeing Towns in orange and blue, DiVincenzo with “Wolves” across his chest and Randle waiting in the wings on the Minnesota sideline, poised to get his first action with his new team sometime this week.
Maybe the trash talk, mean-mugging and flexing will help everyone involved move on with their lives. There will be much more pomp and circumstance later this season, when Towns returns to Minnesota on Dec. 19, and when Randle and DiVincenzo are back in Madison Square Garden for a regular season game on Jan. 17.
Sometimes a little scuffle is all it takes to cement the bond between new teammates. DiVincenzo wants to focus less on that confrontation with his old team and more on the promising signs he sees with his new one. In his short time in Minnesota, he has found a bunch of guys who play like he does, which already has him pondering the possibilities.
“When you’re playing hard and you’re willing to run through a wall,” he said, “then you look around and you have four other guys who are willing to run through a wall, you can do special things as a team.”
(Photo of Donte DiVincenzo: David L. Nemec / NBAE via Getty Images)
