Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari hit the NBA buyout market after the Detroit Pistons opted to waive him earlier this week. As soon as the news broke, rumors swirled about which teams could be interested in signing him.
Two teams emerged as potential suitors; the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. Both are considered contenders for the NBA title, providing Gallinari a chance to get past the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in his career.
While he knows the Clippers organization well, playing there for two seasons earlier in his career, he has opted to sign with the Bucks. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shared the news from Gallinari’s agent, Michael Tellem of Excel Basketball.
Gallinari was with the Washington Wizards to start the season before they traded him to Detroit. They have been two of the worst teams in the NBA this season, as the buyout gave Gallinari his pick of contenders to join up with.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Danilo Gallinari, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
A big reason that he opted to sign with the Bucks over his other options was the chance to play and make an impact right away. Since taking over as head coach of the Bucks, Doc Rivers has leaned heavily on his veterans, essentially removing all of the team’s younger players from the rotation.
The No. 6 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Gallinari can still provide some scoring punch to a team’s frontline, especially from beyond the 3-point line. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Gallinari can have with his new team, as their offense has been solid all season; it is their defense that has struggled.
This will be the eighth different team Gallinari suits up for in his NBA career. He has been a part of 10 different ones, but he didn’t suit up for either the San Antonio Spurs or Boston Celtics. San Antonio waived him after acquiring him from the Atlanta Hawks in the Dejounte Murray blockbuster. Then, Gallinari missed the entire 2022-23 season with an ACL injury before the Celtics traded him to Washington.
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