Raptors rumors: Toronto interested in trading for Danilo Gallinari

The Toronto Raptors are positioned to be a very active role player at the trade deadline, as their need for a big man and some bench consistency might need to be addressed with a proactive deal. Could Atlanta Hawks veteran Danilo Gallinari state Masai Ujiri’s desire in the coming days?

Gallinari made a name for himself with the Nuggets after the Carmelo Anthony deal sent him to Denver. Who was his general manager when that trade went down? None other than Ujiri. Masai valued his combination of size and shooting for years, and he could be in a position to trade for him once again.

With Atlanta hanging around the fringes of the play-in tournament, Travis Schlenk has already started wheeling and dealing. Moving Cam Reddish to the Knicks showed that this team is open for business, and the latest buzz suggests that Gallinari could be on his way out the door as well.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype is reporting that the Raptors have targeted Gallinari in addition to several traditional big men like Jakob Poeltl and Jusuf Nurkic. HoopsHype reported that Ujiri has made a run at Gallinari on the free agent market in the past, showing that he has had a degree of interest in him for some time now.

https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/1489935783045877760

Toronto Raptors rumors: Danilo Gallinari is a tremendous bench player.

Gallinari is averaging 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. Over the last six seasons, Gallinari is averaging 40% from 3-point range. With Gallo making 39% of his 3-pointers this season at age 33, his sterling shot from deep has not eroded one bit with age.

While he would be the tallest member of this roster, Gallinari would be best served on the wing. Toronto’s bench is near the bottom of the league in scoring and 3-point percentage, and Gallinari would instantly give that unit a shot in the arm. If they hold on to Chris Boucher, Toronto could finally have a respectable bench.

The Raptors could acquire Gallinari for a package centered around Goran Dragic and some draft capital if Ujiri is aggressive. With Gallinari under contract for next season at $21.4 million, the front office won’t have to worry about getting burned by taking on an impending free agent.

Gallinari wouldn’t be the rim protector that this team needs, but if he ends up providing enough offensive playmaking to the point where the starters won’t have to be on the floor for 40 minutes every game, this trade idea will have been a success. Atlanta, meanwhile, gets more picks to add fresh talent around Trae Young.