NBA Rumors: Gallinari Will Be A Beast Next Season, Former Nuggets Coach Says

Danilo Gallinari is coming off a fine season with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is one of the top free agents this NBA offseason. Several teams are interested in him, and the latest team to be linked to the Italian player is the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs are interested in Gallinari who could serve as Dallas’ third scorer behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, Ian Begley of SNY reported, citing unnamed sources. But there are a lot of precedents, one of them involving the fate of Chris Paul. If the 35-year-old guard is traded, Thunder's general manager is speculated to likely let Gallinari go as well, according to the SNY reporter.

Assuming that happens, the Mavericks will also have to weigh their options. Dallas is believed to be preserving cap space for the summer of 2021. Hence, the money they are willing to invest in Gallinari and other players may likely hinge on that.

But looking at what Gallinari brings, he is someone the Mavs could really use. Last season, the 32-year-old player played in 62 games, averaging 18.7 points, 5.2 rebound and 1.9 assists in 29.6 minutes of action, per Basketball-Reference. Further, he owned a 47.6% shooting clip from the field and a high 40.5% from beyond the arc.

There is no doubt that Gallinari could provide the Mavs with a big boost on the offensive end. He is coming off a three-year, $64.7 million deal, numbers that Dallas will also have to take into consideration.

For now, Gallinari is trying to stay in shape despite the pandemic. In an interview with Michael Scotto of "The Hoops" podcast, the Italian revealed that he has been into yoga, pilates and mixed martial arts.

Aside from that, he also takes the time to work out with former Denver Nuggets conditioning coach Steve Hess. Aware that he needs to find a way to keep himself in shape, regardless of where he plays next season, Gallinari appears to have all those bases covered.

The "Bouncepass" podcast had the privilege of interviewing Hess on Nov. 8. When asked about Gallinari, he said that any team that gets the Italian will not regret it.

“So here is the thing. I’m not really concerned where he ends up. But I will say this, you will get a bigger and badder Gallo. He is going to be a different beast. So whatever team gets him, the will be really, really lucky,” Hess said in response to a question thrown by guest host Brian Yalung.

“This is a 32-year-old learning new s--t. So be ready. When you see him, he is going to be like wow,” he added.