NBA Trade Rumors: 6 players (and one team) that will dictate deadline day

Danilo Gallinari

This guy can help any team, anywhere, anytime. The Heat are reportedly interested, but is there enough there for a deal to materialize?

After having spent last year on a team that far exceeded their preseason expectations, Gallinari finds himself in a similar spot as this year’s trade deadline draws closer. One of the problems with any Gallinari trade is the Thunder’s surprising presence as a playoff lock. Before this season, it looked like they would accept pretty much any package centered around future assets, whether it be picks or players. But their resurgence complicates things just a bit.

I’m sure Sam Presti will still prioritize the future over the present, however, he’ll now surely feel some pressure to bring back competent contributors who can help this year’s edition, rather than one many years into the future. While their chance to win a title hovers around zero, it feels like they’re trying to build up some goodwill around the league by not engaging in a full teardown, much like last year’s Clippers.

The Heat does have a stable of youngsters who can serve as capable rotation players on any team in the league, before hopefully growing into something more down the line. Justise Winslow has played one game in the last two months but he’s still relatively young and has retained value, despite constant injuries, because of his versatility on both ends. Kendrick Nunn has been a feel-good story this year down in South Beach, but he’s intriguing as the centerpiece of any deal. One trade construction that works: Nunn, Meyers Leonard, Dion Waiters, and a couple of second-round picks.

Leonard isn’t Gallinari’s equal (not close really), but he can still space the floor and shoot the rock, an essential and needed skill on this year’s Thunder. He can do his best Gallinari impersonation, operating on the perimeter and keeping the floor spaced for their guard-centric offense. Nunn is the real prize here. He’s young but has already proven that he can be part of a winning system. I’m not sure the Heat would part with him for a rental, seeing as he’s locked up for two more years after this one on an exceedingly affordable deal. (Though he will be a restricted free agent two summers from now, opening up the possibility that he could get a lot more expensive).

Ultimately, I think Miami would prefer to complete this deal with some of their lower-level prospects. Maybe Derrick Jones Jr. or Chris Silva? Can I interest you in a lightly used KZ Okpala? But that’s probably when the Thunder walk away from the negotiating table.

Another place Gallinari would thrive is up in Milwaukee. (I know, it feels like you could say this for just about anyone). Could you imagine how many open 3’s he’d fire up in that wide-open offense? The tricky part for the Bucks is putting together a deal that doesn’t break up the core of this team. Pretty much all of their key players are signed to deals that go beyond just this season, meaning they’d probably be unlikely to cash in any of those chips for a half-season rental unless they feel like it drastically increases their chance to win a title.

Any deal would have to start with George Hill unless they’re inclined to include Brook Lopez in these discussions, but I don’t think they’re ready to part with the anchor of the league’s best defense. Hill has also been playing his ass off this year. A Gallinari-for-Hill swap sounded a lot better six months ago than it does now.

It’s hard to predict what the Thunder will do, but it appears they’re ready to keep Gallo if nothing juicy materializes before Thursday.