Former Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Danilo Gallinari is finalizing a deal to sign with the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Gallinari will average more than $20 million a season with the Hawks, who are pushing hard to put together a playoff roster around star guard Trae Young.
The full terms of the deal is three years, $61.5 million, according to Wojnarowski.
This sets a very specific record.
Gallinari’s deal is the largest multi-year contract for a player who is older than 30 and has never made an All-Star game, Wojnarowski tweeted.
The 32-year-old’s consistent lights-out shooting allowed him to earn the deal.
Gallinari has 12 years of experience in the league, during which he has averaged about 16 points and five rebounds while shooting 38% from 3.
Over the last two years, Gallinari has averaged 19.3 points while shooting 41.8% from behind the arc on 6.2 3-pointers per game. His free throw percentage, which was 89.9% the last two seasons, is consistently among the best in the league.
He’ll stretch the floor from either forward position and provide much-needed leadership to a young Hawks core.
He was a key part of the Thunder rotation this year and part of a five-man group that had the best net rating in the league.
The only concern with Gallinari is his history with injuries. He has not played 70 games in a season since 2012-13, though he did stay healthy for the majority of this past year and would have approached 70 games, if not reached it, had the season concluded at its usual 82 games.
The Italian forward was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in the trade for Paul George. He played one season with Oklahoma City.
With Gallinari’s contract expiring and the Thunder entering a rebuild, he has signed a huge long-term deal with a team looking to get back into the playoffs.
