NBA Free Agency: LA Clippers Acquire Danilo Gallinari in Three-Year $65M Deal
Danilo Gallinari, who played for the Denver Nuggets for the last six seasons, has moved to the Los Angeles Clippers under a three-year deal worth $65 million.
Gallinari was one of the players who was part of the National Basketball Association's free agency this month. On Thursday, reports were rife that he had agreed to sign with the Clippers.
The 6-foot-10 small forward was included in a three-way trade with the Clippers, the Nuggets, and the Atlanta Hawks.
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As for the Los Angeles franchise, they had to give Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, and their first-round pick for the NBA Draft 2018 to the Atlanta Hawks. Then, on the Hawks' part, they traded their 2019 second-round draft pick to the Denver Nuggets.
Gallinari had an incredible NBA 2016-17 season with the Nuggets as he finished with averages of 18.2 points, 4.5 defensive rebounds and 2.1 assists per game — a performance considered to be one of the best in his nine-year NBA career.
His 38.9 percent success rate at the three-point line also helped bring the Denver Nuggets up to the top 10 teams in the Western Conference in three-point shooting.
In other related news, it can be recalled that the Los Angeles Clippers recently said goodbye to the promising veteran, Chris Paul. Gallinari's arrival is an apparent move to fill up CP3's absence, considering that the newly-added Clippers player is known for his scoring abilities.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets' president and governor, Josh Kroenke, shared some high praises for the Italian baller. In a statement, Kroenke said: "Since we acquired Danilo in 2011, he has exemplified every positive aspect of the organization we are continuing to build."
He added: "His hard work, professionalism and efforts in the Denver community during his time with us will forever make him a fan favorite. On behalf of Nuggets fans everywhere and our entire organization, I would like to thank him for everything he did during his time with us and wish him nothing but the best in the future both in life and basketball."
