In the wake of the blockbuster Dejounte Murray trade between the Spurs and Hawks, San Antonio is expected to waive the recently-acquired Danilo Gallinari, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
And according to NBC Sports Chicago Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson, the Bulls are a team to watch when the veteran forward hits the open market.
Gallinari's fit in Chicago makes sense. The Bulls took the fewest amount of 3-pointers in the league last season — by a wide margin — and Gallinari is a proven shooter, having connected 38.2 percent from long range in his career and 38.1 percent (4.5 attempts per game) for Atlanta in 2021-22. His scoring ability would slot nicely into the power forward spot on the team's second unit, which ranked 29th in the league in bench scoring last season. And, remember, he played under Billy Donovan in Oklahoma City during the 2019-20 season.
The downside is that Gallinari has never been a plus defender, and at age 33, is on the downslope of his career.
But that also means the cost of his services aren't likely to be prohibitive. Johnson reported that the Bulls' offer to Gallinari would "likely be in the neighborhood of $7-8 million annually for two years" — a portion of the team's non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Surely, multiple contending teams will line up to court Gallinari. The Bulls are expected to be in the mix.
