The Kings found a way to end the drama surrounding Donte DiVincenzo being upset with the team lowering his potential qualifying offer.
Not extend him the qualifying offer at all.
The shooting guard came to Sacramento from the Bucks in the middle of last season needing just seven starts to meet the starter criteria, which would’ve increased his qualifying-offer amount from $6,602,272 to $7,921,301. The Kings started him only once. Despite playing DiVincenzo more minutes per game in that span than both, Sacramento routinely started Justin Holiday and Trey Lyles over DiVincenzo. (Because Holiday can comfortably play either wing position, Lyles at small forward or DiVincenzo at shooting guard were viable options next to Holiday. Or DiVincenzo at shooting guard and Lyles at small forward.) Sacramento’s lineup was, if nothing else, fishy.
But even needing to extend just a $6,602,272 qualifying offer to make DiVincenzo a restricted free agent, the Kings let him become an unrestricted free agent.
James Ham of ESPN 1320:
According to a league source, the Sacramento Kings will not extend a qualifying offer to shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo. He is now an unrestricted free agent.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) June 29, 2022
It’s surprising the Kings didn’t extend the qualifying offer. They pursued DiVincenzo for a while. Now, with no right to match his offers and bad feelings from his side, they’re likely to lose him.
But DiVincenzo hasn’t been the same since injuring his ankle in the 2021 playoffs. DiVincenzo played better in Sacramento than he did earlier in the season in Milwaukee. But not well enough to feel great about the 25-year-old being back on track.
That the team that once coveted him most won’t extend even a $6,602,272 qualifying offer isn’t the best indicator on DiVincenzo as he enters unrestricted free agency.
