With the NBA draft set to begin this Thursday, the Hawks have been at the center of nearly every trade rumor. This shouldn’t surprise fans, though. Travis Schlenk and Tony Ressler have been quite outspoken about their desire to improve the roster, which the media took as wholesale changes; however, that isn’t exactly true. The Hawks are looking to upgrade the roster, and it might come with sweeping changes, but nothing is guaranteed. One of those decisions surrounds Danilo Gallinari.
The Italian big man is due $21.5 million in 2022, but his contract guarantee date is June 29th. So, his $5 million partial guarantee will convert to the full salary if he’s on the roster past that date. Many reporters have speculated the Hawks to move off Gallo before that date. Here’s what Hawks GM Landry Fields had to say about him:
“Gallo has been really good for us these past two seasons. It’s something that we have ongoing talks about. I think we’re factoring in other variables as we get closer to the draft in what that means for us from that standpoint. I think from there, we’ll be able to make an informed decision.” When asked if there’s interest in keeping Gallinari, Fields only said: “Potentially. Potentially.”
Atlanta currently sits with $151.2 million of committed salary on their books in 2022, which assumes Gallo is on the team. That figure drops to $134.5 million if they part ways with him. Fans can expect significant changes to come within the next month, which could surround any number of Hawks — Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, John Collins, Clint Capela, etc.
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