The Denver Nuggets really like Danilo Gallinari—enough, at least, to rebuff multiple trade overtures that have been made on his behalf.
From Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer:
With so much young talent, two highly valuable first-rounders in 2017, and future picks, the team is armed to make a push for a superstar if one becomes available. The Nuggets have resisted multiple trade offers for Gallinari over the past two seasons, per sources, and they’ve tried to acquire proven talent (according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe the team made a push for Paul Millsap this summer).
It’s hardly surprising that other teams are smitten with Gallinari. He can play and defend the 3 and 4 spots, and he has become a whiz at getting to the foul line, not unlike James Harden and DeMar DeRozan. With a $16.1 million player option for next season, he isn’t that expensive, either; he will probably opt out and sign a longer-term deal worth more money, but it won’t average much more on an annual scale.
But it also makes sense that the Nuggets have resisted said interest. Any deal for Gallinari straight up is only going to land them mid-end assets—picks, prospects, projects and/or glue guys. And what the Nuggets need is a star. They have enough of everything else.
If they do move Gallinari, then, expect it to be as part of a larger deal that allows them to consolidate some of their own picks, projects, prospects and glue guys into the universally recognized superstar they don’t otherwise have. Moving him for the sake of moving him, or even for a first-rounder, doesn’t feel like it’ll become an option—not even if they fall outside the Western Conference playoff picture entirely.
