In a recent report by NBA insider Michael Scotto he said the Washington Wizards expect to “field calls” from other teams pursuing shooting and a back up point guard. This intel drop comes to nobody’s surprise as most fans of the team expected the Wiz to be pretty active in trade discussions this year.
The only names included in the article were Danilo Gallinari, Landry Shamet, and Delon Wright. All three are veterans who have been around the league and have had great impacts on winning basketball. Two of them were acquired by the Wizards this summer during the blockbuster duo of trades involving Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal.
The clear outlier here is Gallinari. While Shamet and Wright both have established trade value due to their excellent play last season and are both relatively healthy, he does not. The 35-year-old suffered a torn ACL prior to last season and did not suit up for the Boston Celtics.
His trade value plummeted due to his injury. Now his age and injury history are factors rival franchises must consider before trading for the Italian forward. This will likely mean that he will spend the first half of the season rebuilding his trade value.
However, there are still a few teams that should be interested in the services of Gallinari as a stretch big off the bench.
The Dallas Mavericks could trade with the Washington Wizards for Danilo Gallinari
After losing both Christian Wood and JaVale McGee this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks could use some direction in their front court. Danilo Gallinari not only fits that need to a t but would also fit next to the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving almost perfectly.
The only obstacle for this trade partner is the fact that making this deal work is a little difficult for the Mavericks without bringing in a third team to make salaries work. They could expand the trade, but it’s unlikely that they are too interested in the other players the Wizards have on the trade block.
The Mavericks also have very little in terms of assets the Wizards are looking to acquire in trades. They only have two second round picks, one from the Toronto Raptors and one from the Miami Heat. They also only have a few young assets, none of which should be available in a trade featuring a post injury Gallinari.
If the two teams can come to terms on a deal, this would be one of the best places for the 13-year NBA veteran to land. However, it’s unlikely that both teams can find a way to leave the trade happy.