Chris Bosh dilemma could put Danilo Gallinari on Miami Heat radar

Danilo Gallinari could wind up one of the gifts of Chris Bosh’s injury curse.

Earlier this week, readers were at attention when Zach Lowe unleashed his crazy predictions for the 2016-17 NBA season column. The name alone says it all, but there is obvious credibility in the ESPN insider’s words. So much so that the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman reported that the NBA players’ union would be keeping an eye on the relationship between Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat.

The extra attention was seemingly sparked by Lowe’s assumption towards the end of his list:

"“The most likely course of action as of now in this murky, sad situation, per sources all around it: The Heat wait until after March 1 to waive Bosh so that he is not eligible to appear in the postseason for any team that signs him.”"

Such a move would be cruel or shrewd according to which side of the table you teeter on.

Most speculation had the Heat waiving Bosh by his February 9 injury anniversary date to insure that his $76 million are cleared from their salary cap before this season’s trade deadline. In turn, the team would be able to afford to swing a deal that absorbs a disgruntled superstar’s cash. Allowing the team to secure a player before Bosh has a chance to play 25 games–regular and postseason–and put his numbers back on Miami’s payroll for the offseason.

Lowe’s theory, however, gives Miami a summertime option to what ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle thought could be a viable solution at power forward:

"“Since the Heat’s perimeter defense looks promising and they have [Hassan] Whiteside in the middle, this is a team that can really favor offense at the power forward position. I don’t know how they swing it, but I could see Danilo Gallinari as a great fit in Miami.“"

Following Lowe’s strategy eliminates the need to work out a trade since–barring injury–Gallinari is likely to opt out of the final year of his contract for a shot at the increased free agency pie. A pie that president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg will try to convince him to take less of for the betterment of the team.

Now, fans will question investing in a player who has missed an entire season due to an ACL injury, as well as the final 22 games of last season because of an ankle injury. Especially after going through years of Bosh’s health concerns, Dwyane Wade’s maintenance and a multitude of Josh McRoberts’ ailments.

However their minds should be eased when they notice that the career 15-point scorer has put up multiple 30 and 40-point games since his most devastating injury.

If that is not enticing enough, Gallinari can put the ball on the floor, create his own shot and play either forward position. Couple that with shooting 71 percent from the field and 78 percent from the three with a 94.3 true shooting percentage–this preseason–and the stretch-4 possibilities in Miami become intriguing.

Next: Heat and Kings have had vague trade talks, per report

Still, the positive outlook of such a move has the potential to morph into a letdown if Bosh makes a successful return to the league and the Heat eventually get hit by a hefty luxury tax bill that owner Micky Arison was not even willingly to pay during the championship years.