Steven Adams, Dennis Schroder and Danilo Gallinari remain the Thunder players to watch as speculation intensifies ahead of the deadline. “Nobody should pay attention to that,” Schroder said Tuesday. “It’s a business. When something happens and Sam (Presti) calls us, then we just gotta move forward. Right now I think everyone is in a good place.”
More on Danilo Gallinari Trade?
Both Miami and Denver will look other places for help, too; the Heat are among teams who have expressed interest in Danilo Gallinari, for instance, sources say.
Danilo Gallinari stands out as an option. Multiple playoff teams have expressed interest in the Thunder forward, including the Mavericks and Sixers, according to league sources. Gallinari is a potent scorer everywhere on the court, in any play type—whether he’s posting up, isolating, or in the pick-and-roll as a screener or ball handler. Though Gallinari, 31, has never been an All-Star, he’s played like one this season in Oklahoma City and last season with the Clippers. Gallinari can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but few teams will have cap space, and most of them will be younger teams unlikely to pursue players in their 30s.
Gallinari is being pursued by several teams, including the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors. He's in the final year of his contract at $22.6 million, and Boston would need to send out at least $17.6 million to match Gallinari's salary. The C's would need to trade out at least $21.6 million to land Drummond.
Instead, Phoenix is looking to add to its roster. Kevin Love could be a possibility, but the team is believed to have more interest in Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari.
Oklahoma City is a difficult read. "I'm not certain they are sellers," one Eastern Conference executive said. "I think they try to make the playoffs." A different executive in the East doesn't agree and is confident the Thunder are open to offers for both Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari.
There is a market for Danilo Gallinari, but the Thunder are a potential playoff team in the West where a .500 record or even sub-.500 record could get a team a playoff spot. GM Sam Presti has been collecting first-round picks in the Paul George and Russell Westbrook deals.
Speaking of the Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC remains a playoff contender even after trading Westbrook and Paul George last offseason. The Thunder are just 11-12, but that’s good enough today for the 7-seed in the West. Despite their moderate success, plans haven’t changed; Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and other veterans are all available, according to league sources.
Portland is also expected to pursue Oklahoma City’s Danilo Gallinari, according to league sources. The Blazers have options to help save their season following the Carmelo Anthony Band-Aid.
Billy Donovan was asked Wednesday if he has an idea of how long Danilo Gallinari will remain with the organization. Gallinari, who is playing on an expiring contract, is the Thunder’s most valuable asset who is likely to be traded this season. “I’ve had no conversations with anybody about that,” Donovan said. “My feeling has always been that all these guys that are here, that they’ll be here. I coach just like that. But in terms of future plans, I have no idea.”
His journey to the Trail Blazers was less complicated. Portland had a clear need for a four-man, and many rival executives believed the organization would target Oklahoma City’s Danilo Gallinari or Cleveland’s Kevin Love in a trade after the loss of Collins. But as the losses piled up, and its franchise star Damian Lillard clearly needed more support, Portland needed to acquire someone immediately. The Trail Blazers made the call to Anthony and his representative, and one question remained within Anthony: Is this real — or a waste of time?
Rachel Nichols: Is the Blazers' problem injuries? Or a lack of continuity? Either way, Tracy McGrady & @WindhorstESPN want Portland to get on the phone to OKC and make a deal for Danilo Gallinari.
Front office executives I’ve chatted with don’t think it’d be challenging to find a suitor for Gallo; he’s on an expiring contract and just had a career-best season. Not many teams could outright absorb his $22.6 million salary, but a few make sense, such as the Nets or Mavericks, or a club looking to accelerate their rebuild like the Hawks, or a playoff team looking to get over the hump like the Jazz or Pacers. The Clippers could have to sacrifice a future pick for a team to help them create two maximum slots, but that’d be a worthy price to pay.
Bobby Marks: The Clippers now have a clear path to a max contract this summer with Tobias Harris shipped to Philadelphia. Removing the Harris hold now has Los Angeles with $37M in room. The team could see room increase to $49M if Avery Bradley is waived in the offseason and up $70.7M if they find a team to take back the $22.6M contract of Danilo Gallinari this summer.
Kevin O'Connor: If the Clippers were to now trade Danilo Gallinari, they could create over $70 million in cap space this summer—enough to sign two max contract players, just like New York. Even if Gallo's contract were stretched, they'd only be a Lou Williams trade away from still creating $70M.
Eric Pincus: Clippers could try to package Gallinari with young pieces (Shai?) and go for AD - or they can just be patient and wait for the summer and go cap room + trade
The Clippers have been in contact with the Wolves, too, but LA won’t include forward Tobias Harris in a deal. Instead, the Clippers have juggled offers that include Danilo Gallinari as the centerpiece, or some combination including guards Patrick Beverley, Milos Teodosic and others. "The Wolves want to get fair value on Jimmy, but that is not going to happen," one executive told Sporting News. "It’s not just that. If you’re the Nets or Clippers, you know you could sign the guy next summer without giving up anything. It’s also, is this the right fit with what we are doing? The Nets have been trying to build up a certain culture, but you add Butler and that dynamic changes.
The Hawks have agreed on a three-way trade with the Nuggets and the Clippers, with a pair of sign and trades, that will return Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, a protected first-round pick and cash, according to a person familiar with the situation. The deal was worked on into the early morning hours Tuesday and agreed upon later in the day. The deal can not be announced until after the NBA moratorium period ends Thursday.
The Clippers would receive Danilo Gallinari in a sign and trade from the Nuggets in the other major part of the proposed deal. The Nuggets recently agreed to a three-year, $90 million deal with Hawks unrestricted free agent Paul Millsap on Sunday and would acquire the four-time all-star power forward in sign-and-trade. The Nuggets would recieve a second-round pick from the Hawks, a 2019 pick acquired from the Wizards.
Adrian Wojnarowski: There is a strong belief among executives involved in three-way Danilo Gallinari sign-and-trade that a formal deal will be reached soon.
Sam Amick: While Danilo Gallinari has not made a decision, Clippers are trying to find a 3rd team w/ cap space for possible sign-and-trade with Denver
According to league sources, Denver has been pushing for a trade of forward Wilson Chandler first and foremost as the deadline approaches. But Gallinari remains much more popular among teams with something to offer. Chandler has $12 million on his contract for next year, and an option for $12.8 million the following year. That’s not terrible for an average-ish forward like Chandler, but he turns 30 in May, and his best days are likely behind him.
While Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari have consistently had their names tied to trade rumors, Malone reiterated Wednesday that the team doesn’t feel compelled to make a move with any sole focus on reaching the playoffs this season, even as the New Orleans Pelicans loaded up to make a run by acquiring star center DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento.
The Nuggets, for their part, are seeking a lottery-protected first-round pick and swap rights on another pick for Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, sources say. They want that No. 8 spot in the West, but they think they can get it even if they surrender one of those guys.
You can expect the Celts to keep an eye on Danilo Gallinari, a shooter they’ve tried to get in the past. Ainge has an NBA man-crush on Gallinari, who hasn’t been on the rumor radar, but that also was the case when Ainge went after Isaiah Thomas two years ago.
Vittorio Gallinari, Danilo’s father and agent, said that the Houston Rockets are interested in his son. “Danilo always said that he loves Denver and he wants to remain in Colorado. But in the NBA a player with a contract can’t decide. The franchise decides for him” Gallinari told Il Cittadino. “It would be fascinating to see Danilo Gallinari with the Clippers, the Celtics or the Raptors. Teams that need a player in his role (Raptors not anymore because they have signed Serge Ibaka). Orlando would have less appeal” Gallinari added
League sources said yesterday they did not think Denver was done dealing and pegged both Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari as available.
According to league sources, the Raptors have been actively involved discussions for at least three power forwards: Serge Ibaka of Orlando, the Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari and the Bulls’ Taj Gibson. Toronto has collected a stockpile of young assets — Norman Powell, Bruno Caboclo, Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are all 23 or younger — and the Raptors hold their own first-round draft pick, plus the Clippers’ pick, this season.
But Toronto has played hardball when it comes to acquiring power forward help. Caboclo does not figure to be part of any trade discussions, as he has been a project the team wants to complete itself. A source also said that Toronto has also long resisted the idea of trading sixth man Terrence Ross. The Raptors have been loath to mortgage the future entirely for players such as Gallinari, Gibson or Ibaka, all of whom can be free agents next summer (Gallinari has a player option worth $16 million, and could opt in for that final season).
League sources say Danilo Gallinari is a prime Nugget to watch between now and the deadline. The Raptors and Clippers are among the teams said to be monitoring Gallinari's availability, amid a growing belief that Denver is prepared to move him, given that the Nuggets anticipate that Gallinari will bypass the final season of his current contract (valued at $16.1 million) and join Millsap on the open market and don't plan to spend big to retain the Italian.
Danilo Gallinari: "In Denver I am very well, there was a chance last year to go to some other team before the deadline in February, but I refused. If I return to Italy would be back to Olimpia but with the intention of winning, I don't like the idea of nostalgic revisiting."
The Nuggets are seemingly always mentioned in trade rumors, so their makeup could well change before training camp if Denver moves a player like Danilo Gallinari or Kenneth Faried with one of its guards or future picks. The Nuggets tried to move up in the first round without success, but were able to address a need by taking Murray and his all-around game to plug in next to second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay.
Chris Broussard: "I've been told that the Clips actually called Denver and offered Blake Griffin and Lance Stephenson for Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Will Barton and Nikola Jokic. And Denver turned it down because Blake will be a free agent after next season and they felt like he may leave, plus they like some of those young kids, they love Jokic."
League sources said that the Kings have made it clear All-Star forward DeMarcus Cousins is not on the market. The Nuggets have also indicated that forward Danilo Gallinari is not on the block, and he has had a history of knee issues and is not seen as a transcendent star anyway.
Another name that has been linked again to the Celtics recently is Danilo Gallinari, and this one at least make sense from the standpoint that, as reported here last summer, Ainge has tried to get the 6-10 talent in the past. But this appears to continue to be a no-go for the Celts — or perhaps anyone, for that matter. One league source from that region said of the Nuggets, "They're not trading him. They're building around him." Which is a fairly wise idea when you have a player of Gallinari's skill who is making a very reasonable $14 million this year and $15.050 million the next one, with a $16.1 million player option for 2017-18.
Speaking of vague rumors, A. Sherrod Blakely reported that he's been told to "keep an eye on" Danilo Gallinari.
Orazio Cauchi: With the trade deadline incoming, one of the targets for the Boston Celtics is Danilo Gallinari, per source. Ainge is high on him.
Denver discussed deals for Chandler, Gallinari, and Lawson ahead of the trade deadline, and it absolutely could have snagged future first-round picks for the first two, according to sources around the league. The Lawson trade market was trickier; Denver asked for two first-round picks in some talks, sources say, and it could not have known at that time quite how toxic Lawson would become just a few months later.
Multiple sources have told the Herald that the Celtics approached Denver about trading for 6-foot-10 forward Danilo Gallinari. Though the talks didn’t get far, sources have indicated that discussions could easily be revived as the Nuggets continue to determine who they are open to dealing. Denver management is said to be divided over its desired course of action.
The Celtics recently spoke with Denver about a trade for Danilo Gallinari, but those discussions did not get anywhere. However, multiple sources told the Herald that talks could be revived and that the situation bears watching. On the other hand, there were conflicting comments about the Nuggets' willingness to make Gallinari available. Some said Denver will likely keep the 6-10 shooter, while others insist the club is willing to part with him for the proper price.
The bulk of the discussion regarding the soon-to-be 27-year-old came prior to the draft. But there is the sense among many league execs here at the Las Vegas summer league that teams are becoming more open to trade talk now that most of the free agent pieces have fallen into place.
Marc Stein: After lining up deal for Matt Barnes, word is Grizz among teams pursuing trade for Denver's Danilo Gallinari as they look to add shooting
