The Washington Wizards should consider adding Danilo Gallinari
By Cory Nelson
With the Boston Celtics’ season now over, a few more players are about to hit the NBA free-agent market. One of them could be power forward Danilo Gallinari. The Italian sharpshooter has a player option for $6.8 million for next season. Even though it is unlikely that he would decline that option considering he has missed the entire season with a torn ACL, Gallinari is still worth chasing via trade or free agency if he decides to opt out for a variety of reasons.
Gallinari provides the Wizards with much-needed size and strength
One reason is his physique. Standing at 6’10” and 225 pounds, he can give the Wizards more size, particularly at the forward position.
Deni Avdija and Kyle Kuzma stand at 6’9” but lack weight. Avdija weighs 210 pounds which makes it difficult for him to get by larger defenders. He struggles offensively when he isn’t able to get into the paint. He doesn’t have an attractive jump shot and on top of that, he has to try to hit shots over defenders. It explains why he likes to utilize the pick-and-roll option. Avdija prefers to be a playmaker but the Wizards have enough options there.
As for Kuzma, he has grown into an elite scorer. He may not be the guy to give you 25 to 30 points a night, but he has improved drastically since joining the Wizards. He’s the complete opposite of Avdija. Kuzma can explode into the paint and even knock down jump shots over opponents. His only downfall is the lack of defense.
With Gallinari, he can use his body to bully opponents in the paint and use his height to hit shots over defenders. He’s great at backing down defenders and has an effective fadeaway.
Another reason the Wizards should try to grab Gallinari is his 3-point shot. Gallinari is one of the most underrated 3-point shooters in the league. He has an excellent form with a high release. He may not be a Kevin Durant-level shooter but his 3-point accuracy of 38 percent in 2021-22 and over 40 percent in each of the three seasons before that is still very impressive.
Gallinari’s injury history and age make him a risky option
The only reason the Wizards might hesitate on bringing him on is his inability to stay healthy. Not only is he currently recovering from an ACL injury, but he also has been injury-prone his whole career. He has dealt with several ankle and knee injuries when playing for the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers as well.
With his injury history and entering age 35, the Wizards will have to be cautious if they choose to acquire him, and if the Wizards do decide to go for it, they will need to make some sacrifices.
The Wizards currently have nine forwards on their roster, so they will need to make space. They could choose to let Taj Gibson -whose contract is expiring- go. Or if the Wizards part ways with Kristaps Porzingis or Kuzma, Gallinari could be a cheap replacement for either one of them.
If all else fails, the Wizards will most likely have to give up role player Anthony Gill who only played in 58 games with the Wizards this season.
With the offseason approaching, the Wizards still have a lot of time to make decisions to reshape the roster. They will have a lot of options to choose from, and Gallinari is certainly a solid one.
