Danilo Gallinari was always a risk to leave the Denver Nuggets.
Now, he’s good as gone.
The Nuggets came to terms on a three-year, $90 million deal with Paul Millsap on Sunday night, as first reported by The Vertical’s, Shams Charania, adding to their already full supply of combo forwards. To clear the space necessary for this agreement, Denver either has to renounce the rights to Gallinari or shed salary elsewhere.
Though it’s possible the Nuggets look to trade someone like Kenneth Faried or Wilson Chandler into another team’s cap space, letting Gallinari walk is the cheaper play, since re-signing him could cost upwards of $20 million per year. Things would be different if the market for him was tepid, but he’s garnered plenty of interest early on, and he’ll probably get much more once Gordon Hayward makes his decision.
Among those lusting after Gallinari: The Los Angeles Clippers. And they’ve made an impression, according to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski and NBA.com’s David Aldridge:
Sources: Clippers presentation made a strong impression on free agent Danilo Gallinari in Los Angeles today. They've long coveted him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2017
Clippers brass painted a picture for Gallinari tonight where he's part of multiple lineups that will form the best frontcourt in the league.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 3, 2017
As of now, with Blake Griffin set to come back on a five-year max, the Clippers don’t have the cap to sign Gallinari. They’ll need to pawn off two holds, or more, just to come close.
Assuming DeAndre Jordan is going to stick around and head coach Doc Rivers still refuses to move Austin Rivers, the Clippers’ best bet is to dump Jamal Crawford’s and Wesley Johnson’s deals. Offloading Crawford’s pact won’t be easy, even though the final year, in 2018-19, is non-guaranteed. The Clippers would definitely have to include the 2018 pick they received from the Houston Rockets as a pot-sweetener, and that might not even be enough.
Calling them a favorite, then, feels like a stretch. They’re more like a pipe dream—which, truthfully, doesn’t say much about their outlook in the aftermath of Paul’s and Redick’s exits.
