There may not be a ton of high-profile targets available this offseason in NBA free agency, but one of them happens to be Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari. Quite a few teams will show interest in him, but could he end up considering the Los Angeles Lakers?
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have formed one of the most dominant duos that the league has seen in recent history. They will need to re-sign Davis this offseason, but will also look to add more talent around their superstars. Gallinari could make perfect sense for them.
Bleacher Report listed the Lakers as a dark horse free agency destination for Gallinari. Here is a brief explanation of why the fit could be perfect for both sides.
The Lakers can get creative with how they stagger minutes if AD won’t, finally, warm up to being a full-time 5. Gallinari is most valuable to them as a shot creator (and foul-drawer) who can inoculate their half-court offense against huge drop-offs without LeBron anyway.
They also mentioned that the Lakers would have to get creative to bring Gallinari in. It would likely require a sign-and-trade with the Thunder. Here is the trade package that they could make this deal work.
A package assembled around Bradley, McGee and Quinn Cook (non-guaranteed) would let the Lakers start Gallinari at around $17.2 million. They can drive up that number by dealing the No. 28 pick as an actual salary, including yet another player or subbing in KCP’s money for anyone.
Gallinari would be a very nice addition for the Lakers. He would bring scoring, shooting, and the ability to create plays for teammates. Adding that kind of talented veteran depth could help L.A. compete for another run at a championship.
During the 2019-20 NBA season with the Thunder, Gallinari ended up averaging 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 40.5 percent of his three-point attempts.
Expect to see the Lakers look to add more talent this offseason. James and Davis are always going to keep Los Angeles in contention, but a guy like Danilo Gallinari could make them easy favorites once again to win a title.
