Danilo Gallinari just helped lead the Hawks to an Eastern Conference Finals berth. He would be a great addition to the Miami Heat.
Though the Hawks may prefer to keep him, trading him would give them substantially more financial flexibility; even while taking in Andre Iguodala’s $15 million contract.
The shot creation and shooting Danilo Gallinari would bring to the table would fit in super well with the Heat. He could start at power forward next to Bam Adebayo and stretch the floor nicely.
Last season, he averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, Gallinari shot 43.4% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range.
Hawks owner Tony Ressler recently stated that the team would likely struggle to bring back the same players as last year. He mentioned they would have to spend a lot more than they want to.
"“We’re going to have to spend a lot more than we have this season. We fully expect that. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to keep every single player that we want to keep. Pretty good bet, pretty good assumption we will not.”"
Gallinari is set to make around $20 million for the next two seasons, although the 2022-23 season is not fully guaranteed. Clearing this money from the books would help the Hawks retain some of their younger talent.
For Miami, this is a low-risk, high-reward move. In all likelihood, Gallinari will give them quality minutes at the four, but worst-case scenario they can release him early on in the 2022-23 season and only owe him $5 million.
The Miami Heat have been rumored to be interested in Gallinari for the past few seasons. This could be the perfect time to add him to the roster.