Could the Toronto Raptors target Danilo Gallinari in a trade?

The Toronto Raptors may have switched from a selling team to a win-now squad over the last few successful weeks, as they may need to make an addition or two to push towards the postseason. The Atlanta Hawks may have made a perfect Raptors trade target in Danilo Gallinari available.

Hawks GM and president Travis Schlenk went on a bit of a tirade when he expressed his frustration with his 11-seed Atlanta team, as he hinted that it may have been a mistake to run it back with the same team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required), Atlanta might be considering some trades at the deadline in order to free up some rotation space. The most likely players to be moved are Gallinari and young forward Cam Reddish considering this team’s depth at both of their respective positions.

Even though he might be 33 years old, Gallinari is still a lethal shooter with the height and size to cause some mismatches. The Raptors may need to cobble together some pieces and draft picks to match Gallinari’s $20 million salary, but he could be a quality addition for the Toronto bench.

Could the Toronto Raptors trade for Danilo Gallinari?

Gallinari might be viewed as a declining asset, as the Italian sharpshooter is averaging 9.5 points per game this season while starting just four games in two years with Atlanta. However, considering he averaged 16.7 points per game in the prior decade with multiple franchises, one might assume his scoring would jump with more shot opportunities.

Gallinari’s 3-point shot has not left him, as he is making 40% of his triples on just under five attempts per game with the Hawks. The Raptors need veteran scorers, bench weapons, and perimeter shooters, and Gallinari checks all of those boxes.

While he wouldn’t be able to fix Toronto’s struggles on the interior just because of his height, Nick Nurse will have no trouble finding a role for a player with his experience and consistency. On a barren Raptors bench, Gallinari would get as green a light as anyone on this team as Nurse tries to search for ways to get more second unit production,

Toronto may need to include Goran Dragic for financial reasons, which could necessitate a third team getting involved if Atlanta is not interested in him. If Gallo truly is available, Masai Ujiri would be doing the Raptors fanbase a disservice by not inquiring about his availability.