Danilo Gallinari serves up offensive versatility for OKC Thunder
By Noah Schulte
After a surprise trade with the LA Clippers, the OKC Thunder find themselves with Danilo Gallinari. Here’s what he brings to the table.
I never expected to be writing this column. Ever. In a million years. This is entirely uncharted territory for me. After a pretty disappointing flame-out at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers in last year’s playoffs, I wholly expected the OKC Thunder to pick up a few guys around the fringes, bring everyone back for another year, and generally keep existing as your run-of-the-mill small market team trying to put on a good, wholesome show for the fans and sell a few tickets. Boy, was I wrong.
In what can only be described as a genuine Woj Bomb, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski sent the tweet that shocked the NBA world in the late hours of the night.
Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
At first, I was totally flabbergasted. Why did OKC do this? What could they possibly be getting back? Are we sure Woj’s account wasn’t hacked? Is OKC going to have the worst offense of all-time without George next year? But when I saw the Thunder were getting Danilo Gallinari – among others – back, all that fear and anxiety immediately melted; in its place, came excitement.
Sources: Oklahoma City is getting a massive package of future picks, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Galllinari, to deliver Kawhi Leonard who he wanted to partner with: Paul George. https://t.co/4bGpMNat8K
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
To those who don’t know much about him, it might seem strange that I would be so excited that the Thunder were getting back a high-end role player for a guy who was a bona fide MVP candidate for 70 percent of last season. But here’s why I’m so excited and why Gallo makes this deal worth it.