Danilo Gallinari held near career-high averages in several different categories with the Nuggets this past season, managing to increase his value entering the summer’s free agency period.
Still, Gallinari, who says he hopes to re-sign with Denver, doesn’t anticipate receiving a max contract on the open market:
Danilo Gallinari told @dchinellato that one of his first meetings in the free agency will be with the Denver Nuggets
— Sportando (@Sportando) June 30, 2017
Danilo Gallinari: My goal is to remain with the Nuggets. Denver is my first option
— Sportando (@Sportando) June 30, 2017
Danilo Gallinari feels like he deserves a max contract: But the market says something different and I know I won’t be offered the max
— Sportando (@Sportando) June 30, 2017
Gallinari will become an unrestricted free agent at midnight July 1, free to sign with any interested team across the league. He joins a strong group of free-agent forwards on the open market, including Andre Iguodala, Rudy Gay and James Johnson.
Gallinari is expected to receive a contract that pays around $20 million annually, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Teams in need of a scoring punch could look to bring him in.
Previously, Gallinari has indicated that Denver would not be his first choice.
“The Nuggets are not my first choice but they are exactly at the same level of the other teams,” Gallinari told Premium Sport Radio. “Denver’s advantage is that they can offer me a five-year contract while other franchises can offer me a four-year deal. Nuggets are at the same level of the others.”
Gallinari, 28, holds career-averages of 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and two assists per game.
