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Despite improving their roster from last season and cementing their star backcourt in place with extensions for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Portland Trail Blazers have the highest payroll in the NBA and are bound for luxury tax hell in the coming months unless some changes are made. Following an unconvincing 3-4 start to the regular season, ESPN's Brian Windhorst didn't take long to land on Danilo Gallinari as a potential trade target, while suggesting the Blazers will be active in the trade market, likely trying to shed some of that extra expiring salary.
“When I’ve talked to executives out there seeing this [high a payroll], they believe that the Blazers are going to be active in the trade market as the season goes on,” said Windhorst on The Jump. ”They have the pieces that are required for a trade, they have a couple of expiring contracts in Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore. They have a couple of young players, maybe Anfernee Simons. They have picks, there's a couple of guys — but what they really need is forwards… They lost Al-Farouq Aminu, they lost [Moe] Harkless, watch Danilo Gallinari.”
Is the Blazers' problem injuries? Or a lack of continuity? Either way, Tracy McGrady & @WindhorstESPN want Portland to get on the phone to OKC and make a deal for Danilo Gallinari. pic.twitter.com/ueJZyfvHuN
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) November 5, 2019
The Blazers have $145 million committed to their players this season, well past the $138.9 million apron for 2018-19. While they have been long rumored to bring home Kevin Love from the Cleveland Cavaliers, trying their hand at Gallo could be the right answer for them this season.
Gallinari is making $22.6 million in the last year of his contract before becoming a free agent in 2020, which comes much cheaper than the $28.9 million that is owed to Love as the first of a four-year, $120 million max extension he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the beginning of last season.
Gallo, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Paul George trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, could give the Blazers the right kind of floor spacing without gobbling up much room in the paint, where Nurkic likes to operate.
His perimeter shooting can open up the floor for Lillard and McCollum, giving them much better options to rely on with their backcourt assault and rounding up a part of the Blazers game that has been lacking the past few years since LaMarcus Aldridge left for San Antonio.
