OKC Thunder free agent Danilo Gallinari is one gem in this year’s class which has pundits drooling over sign and trade opportunities.
Executive vice president and general manager of the OKC Thunder, Sam Presti has a busy offseason ahead. Top of his priority list is hiring a new coach as the team and Billy Donovan amicably parted ways. Second, on his list will be addressing his roster and specifically the draft and free agents.
In terms of the latter situation, the free agent most fans in Oklahoma City are curious about is forward Danilo Gallinari. As an unrestricted free agent, he can sign with any team he wants. The reason most expect he’ll re-sign with the OKC Thunder is two-fold. First, the Italian forward truly enjoyed his time with the Thunder and wouldn’t be averse to returning under the right circumstance.
The second point which is much more relevant has to do with money. Given the coronavirus pandemic, there is a ton of uncertainty regarding the salary cap. Moreover, not many teams left extra room in the coffers to sign free agents this offseason as most elite teams designed their rosters to free up cap space in the summer of 2021 when another class of high-end star talent led by Giannis Antetokounmpo will potentially be available.
That makes a sign and trade much more feasible for Gallo and the Thunder. Presti can get something back in return for the forward while the options for Gallinari become more varied. As early as last summer Danilo said his priority with this next contract was more about joining a championship team than driven by money. That said, this would likely be the last big contract Gallo would sign so he’ll also want to ensure a fair return with multiple years.
Bleacher Report takes a big swing on OKC Thunder Danilo Gallinari to Lakers
With this in mind, many analysts and pundits are already speculating on where Gallinari would be a good fit. This past weekend, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report dove into ‘Dark Horse Destinations for top 2020 Free Agents. Among the eight players, he focused on was Danilo Gallinari with the landing spot being the Los Angeles Lakers.
In fairness to Favale, he does state upfront the Lakers would need a ton of help to make this happen. (A LOT OF HELP). He breaks down the issues the Lakers will have in terms of open finances which would only make them players for Gallo in a sign and trade situation.