The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to sign unrestricted free agent Danilo Gallinari to a contract worth $65 million over three years. The signing is part of a three-team trade along with the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets. As part of the trade, Jamal Crawford will head to Atlanta along with Diamond Stone and a 2018 first round draft pick. Earlier reports suggested that Crawford will seek a buyout and hopes to join the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal cannot officially be completed until the conclusion of the NBA’s moratorium period on July 6th.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news on Tuesday night:
Sources: The Clippers have reached agreement on a three-team deal to acquire free agent Danilo Gallinari on a three-year, $65M contract.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017
Sources: As Gallinari heads to LA, Hawks receive Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, LA's 2018 FRP via Houston, cash; Denver gets '19 2nd-rounder https://t.co/mFxQMzPjSU
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017
Report: Los Angeles Clippers Acquire Danilo Gallinari Via Three-Team Trade
Gallinari’s contract will take him through the end of the 2019-20 season.
Gallinari averaged 18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game last season for the Denver Nuggets. He’s proven himself in this league as a quality offensive wing. He fits even more now with the current playing style of the NBA, as he led the Nuggets in scoring the last two seasons. That’s impressive, considering that he has not been in the top three in usage rate on the Nuggets in either of the last two seasons. He is not simply an isolation scorer; he moves well in the structure of offensive sets and routinely gets open looks that he cashes in on. Gallinari also had a career-high true shooting rate this past year at 62.2 percent.
Going forward, Gallinari is a ready-made starter at the three spot for the Clippers. He joins Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in a very talented frontcourt, hoping to somewhat make up for the loss of Chris Paul. Gallinari is going to produce when he’s on the floor in the box score, but he’s been injured throughout his career. He has played in more than 70 games in a season just twice in his NBA tenure. Without Chris Paul, the Clippers will hope that Gallinari can stay healthy so he can help them stay in the playoff race in the 2017-18 season.
Gallinari is going into his ninth season in the NBA, during which he’ll be 29 years old. He played for the Nuggets since the 2010-11 season. Before that, he played for the New York Knicks, who drafted him sixth overall in 2008.
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