Report: Clippers close to acquiring Gallinari in 3-team sign-and-trade
Free agent swingman Danilo Gallinari is "leaning strongly" toward a commitment on a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wojnarowski reports the Clippers and Denver Nuggets are working through the details on a sign-and-trade that would see the Italian small forward join the former on a three-year, $65-million contract.
Both Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Vertical add that the Atlanta Hawks will be involved in the transaction, taking on a package of Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, and the first-round pick the Clippers obtained via the Chris Paul trade with Houston last week.
Jamal Crawford has no plans to play in Atlanta if/when this thing gets finalized, I'm told. A buyout or a trade is considered necessary.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 4, 2017
The Nuggets, meanwhile, will net Paul Millsap, who was reported on Sunday to have reached an agreement on a three-year, $90-million deal.
Gallinari, 28, hit the open market after declining his $16.1-million player option with Denver. Prior to that, Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly said re-signing the skilled wing was his top priority heading into the offseason.
But Gallinari, who notched 18.2 points and 5.2 rebounds last season while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range, was "sold" by the Clippers' plan to link him up with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to create a formidable frontcourt in L.A., according to Wojnarowski.
Gallinari appeared in 63 games last year, a number equally as important as his aforementioned stat line; it's the highest total he's played in a season since missing the entire 2013-14 campaign after undergoing multiple knee surgeries to repair a torn ACL.