Charlotte Hornets Aggressively Seeking Trade; Potential Partners
By Jon Shames
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have emerged as a possible trade partner for the Hornets, and for good reason; Denver is packed to the brim with shooters of all shapes and sizes–ranging from their shooting guards to their power forwards.
With Marvin Williams having a poor season thus far, the Hornets have come up short at the power forward position night after night. They need a 4 who can space the floor, but also one who is able to move without the ball–cutting, off-ball screening … things of that nature.
Luckily for them there are options out there. In Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, the Nuggets feature two stretch-4s (meaning one of them is expendable) who are more than qualified to gun away from deep.
Gallinari would be the more likely acquisition for the Hornets. The Italian forward, who is playing his first season since 2012-13, is having a bit of a down season for his standards, averaging just 7.4 points per game.
He is only playing 18.7 minutes per night, the lowest mark since he rookie season, but the fact that he has struggled to return to his 2012-13 form is a big reason why.
Prior to this year, Gallo hadn’t played for Brian Shaw, the Nuggets head coach that replaced George Karl, so it’s easy to see why Shaw would have more faith in the familiar Wilson Chandler–who, on a side note, is also an option for Charlotte to explore.
It’s unclear how much the Nuggets value Gallinari at this point, but if the Hornets are able to snag him from Denver for a reasonable price, there’s no reason not to. When he was healthy, Gallinari offered a unique blend of size, speed, and shooting, something rarely found even at the NBA level.
And not to worry, Hornets fans; Gallo’s defense is much better than one might expect. He is a very good lateral defender, but perhaps more important for Steve Clifford’s conservative system, Gallo plays smart on the defensive end of the court.
The Nuggets, in this situation, would have the leverage in this deal, meaning their asking price might be somewhat high.
It’s a bit insane, really, considering the fact that taking on Gallo as he is coming back from a torn ACL is a pretty big risk in and of itself, but then again, there’s no telling what the desperate Rich Cho and Michael Jordan think the potential rewards of that risk are worth.
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