Danilo Gallinari believes Kawhi Leonard's arrival to the Clippers back in 2019 is what "changed the trajectory" of his career. After all, the superstar's signing with Los Angeles had a behind-the-scenes agreement that Paul George would come along with him via trade with the OKC Thunder, which, in turn, sent Gallo out to the Sooner State.
Despite his recently voiced grievances, Gallinari's lone season with the Thunder should still be looked back on as a wildly fun and entertaining ride for OKC fans. In fact, one could argue that it was the best thing that could have happened for the franchise.
2019-20 was the season that Oklahoma City was not only expected to take a significant step back after offloading both George and Russell Westbrook (traded to Houston) that summer, but was initially projected to win no more than 33 games.
Of course, as we all know, their season turnout proved to be completely different, and so, too, did their future trajectory as an organization.
Trade that landed Danilo Gallinari on Thunder changed team's future
Instead of tanking and trying to set themselves up through high-end draft picks to dominate in the post-Russ era, OKC pulled off a Cinderella Story season for the ages behind a wildly entertaining core led by the heroics of Chris Paul (attained in the Westbrook trade), who criminally finished just seventh in the running for MVP that year.
Gallinari, in particular, had quite an impressive campaign himself, as he posted 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds on 40.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc as the starting four for the 44-win, fifth-seeded Thunder.
Of course, his individual production was by no means the most important part of his arrival to the club. That, instead, was the acquisition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander along with him.
Gallinari's $64.8 million deal was used as the primary salary in the George exchange, which, as a result, directly helped facilitate SGA's move to the Thunder.
Now, while Gallinari's tenure with the Thunder lasted just one season, it undeniably contributed to these past seven years of unbelievable success that have seen consecutive 60-plus win seasons, an NBA Championship run, and a two-time MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way.
So while it's a shame Gallo feels his trade to Oklahoma City altered his pro-career, without him, the Thunder may have looked completely different than they do today.
With this in mind, OKC fans should be forever grateful for his services.
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