Danilo Gallinari to sign with Bucks

Danilo Gallinari to sign with Bucks

Nearly a week after getting waived by the Detroit Pistons, free agent forward Danilo Gallinari has elected to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks for the remainder of the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Thursday.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania from The Athletic, Gallinari chose the Bucks over multiple interested suitors, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls.

Gallinari seriously considered several teams – including Clippers, Cavaliers and Bulls – before choosing the Bucks where he'll have opportunity for a strong role under his old coach Doc Rivers. https://t.co/6BfxVW0ztl

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 15, 2024

As of this writing, the club has yet to make the addition official.

To make room for their new additions acquired at the trade deadline, the Pistons made a slew of roster cuts, including Gallinari, Killian Hayes and Joe Harris. Gallinari was previously traded from the Wizards to the Pistons–alongside Mike Muscala–in a deal that sent Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks in mid-January.

Gallinari played in six games with Detroit, averaging 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 54.5/58.3/87.5 shooting splits. In 32 combined games with Detroit and Washington, he averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds on 45.1 percent shooting and 35.5 percent from 3-point range.

The 35-year-old, standing at 6-foot-10, is one season removed from tearing his ACL, which prevented him from suiting up in his first-and-only season with the Boston Celtics. This is his 14th NBA season, spending time with the Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. The stretch big posted 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 38.2 percent shooting from 3-point range (5.1 3PA).

Doc Rivers on taking Bucks job during season: ‘I wouldn’t wish this on anyone’

His fit in Milwaukee is puzzling. On one hand, he will add depth and shooting to the Bucks frontcourt. On the other, Milwaukee’s biggest deficiency comes on the other side of the ball, where Gallinari doesn’t possess the physicality or foot speed to consistently hold up–even when covered up by generational defender Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Since Doc Rivers’ arrival, the Bucks’ defense has been more decisive and connected, but they still rank No. 17 in defense and No. 19 in adjusted defense. The more spacing for Antetokounmpo to operate isn’t, the merrier … but one wonders how Gallinari’s infusion into the rotation affects their team defensively long-term.

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