Denver Nuggets Show Faith in Danilo Gallinari by Restructuring Contract

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The Denver Nuggets and Danilo Gallinari are close to agreeing on a restructured contract that will net him more money on his current three-year deal which also includes a player option for the 2017-18 season.

In doing this, the Nuggets are showing faith that Gallinari can return to being a productive, dependable player for their organization.

Gallinari is only 26 years old, and in this day and age when “stretch-four” players are coveted league-wide, he could potentially be one of the best in the NBA given his long-range sniping ability as well as his agility to avoid defenders off of shot fakes and carve his way into the lane for easy looks. At 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds, Gallinari remains a liability on defense who still routinely gets bullied on the block by bigger players when he is occupying the power forward position. But seeing how the NBA is geared more towards offenses, specifically spacing the floor with shooters positioned all around the perimeter, it makes sense why the Nuggets decided to restructure his contract even given his obvious weaknesses.

Granted, Gallinari has been beat up the last couple of years and might ever be healthy for an entire season, but if he does find a way to stay on the floor for most of the season, he could potentially become the Nuggets’ go-to player.

Many will look at the low amount of games he has played the last few years and wonder why the Nuggets would pay him even more than what he is already making given how injury-prone he has been recently. However, this is a short-term deal, so if it Gallinari remains hurt for most of the next few seasons, the Nuggets won’t lose that much should they decide to eventually part ways with him. But, if he does stay on the floor and shows signs of promise, this will be a crucial point in time that both Gallinari and the Nuggets look at as the team being loyal to him when they did not necessarily have to.

There is a little risk involved in this deal, but it’s an intriguing move nonetheless. Gallinari has shown flashes of greatness occasionally, but he simply has just not been able to be healthy for an entire season. As the Nuggets continue their rebuilding of their roster, this is clearly an effort to make Gallinari feel more valuable, and to hopefully make him feel more loyal to the team should he fulfill his potential and become a premier player by the time he is up for a new contract in a few short years.

Dan Schultz is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

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