Timberwolves rumors: Wolves pursuing trade for Danilo Gallinari
By Ben Beecken
Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is widely thought of as a “big game hunter” when it comes to trades. Indeed, Timberwolves rumors are on the upswing of late.
The latest offseason rumor surrounding the Wolves maybe doesn’t quite fall into that category, but it’s absolutely another sign of Rosas’ aggressive trade tendencies.
Timberwolves rumors: Wolves pursuing trade for Danilo Gallinari
Dane Moore of The Dane Moore NBA Podcast reports that the Wolves are “pursuing” Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been pursuing Danilo Gallinari from the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason trade market, sources say.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 20, 2021
Gallinari has two years and $42 million remaining on his contract. The second year (2022-23) is partially guaranteed for $5 million.
On its face, it makes a ton of sense.
Gallinari has been one of the better stretch-4s in the league for several years. He’s shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc for each of the last three seasons and is a 38.2 percent 3-point shooter for his career.
He’s also been on winning teams, making the playoffs three straight seasons for three different organizations. Gallinari has played multiple roles, too, from being a focal point in Denver to a secondary star with the Clippers and Thunder to a true role player for the Hawks in their surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The contract isn’t crazy, either. Gallinari is owed $20.475 million this year but only has $5 million of his potential $21.475 million salary guaranteed in 2022-23.
The question marks are mostly surrounding what the Hawks would desire in return. The Wolves obviously aren’t trading any of their top assets for him, and that includes Malik Beasley. It may even be tough to part with Ricky Rubio’s expiring $17.8 million salary in such a deal. But the Hawks aren’t likely to do it for a mash of middling salaries, either.
Perhaps Atlanta would consider something like Jarrett Culver, Juancho Hernangomez, and a protected first-round pick in 2023. It all depends on their view of Culver, of course, but Hernangomez could replicate a portion of Gallinari’s role and Culver gives the Hawks another wing defender.
If Atlanta requires Rubio, maybe the Wolves could get old friend Kris Dunn back as part of the deal, provided Dunn picks up the player option on his contract.
It’s also important to note that Gallinari is about to turn 33 and has not played more than 68 games in a season since 2012-13, just prior to his ACL tear. Durability has always been an issue, and his minutes were ratcheted all the way down to 24 per game this year in Atlanta, his lowest minute-per-game mark since his rookie season.
Still, the interest in Gallinari makes sense. It’s another signal that Rosas and Co. are going to be extremely active this offseason, and they know exactly what they’re looking for: shooting, playoff experience, and a synergistic running mate for Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt. (We can add perimeter defense to the list, too, but Gallinari doesn’t bring much to the table there at this stage in his career.)
Next. 3 potential trades between the Wolves and the Lakers. dark
Pulling off a trade for Gallinari would certainly be a challenge, but let’s keep an eye on it.