The NBA free agency period doesn’t start until 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, but plenty of action has already gone down in the past week.
Among the most notable moves was the San Antonio Spurs trading All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari, a trio of first-round draft picks and a pick swap in 2026.
With the Spurs entering a rebuilding phase, the consensus around the NBA is they will reach a buyout with Gallinari to allow him to become an unrestricted free agent.
According to Davide Chinellato of La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams expected to reach out to the 33-year-old when the frenzy officially begins on Friday:
Lakers will be inquiring about Danilo Gallinari when free agency starts at 6pm ET, per sources. Gallo will be traded from the Hawks to the Spurs by July 6, but San Antonio won’t guarantee his 2022-23 contract.
Lakers can use the taxpayer midlevel exception at $6.5M #NBA75— Davide Chinellato (@dchinellato) June 30, 2022
Gallinari is coming off a down season with the Hawks that saw him post his lowest points per game total since the 2008-09 season (11.7), but still proved to be an efficient shooter, knocking down 38.1% of his three-point field goal attempts.
Across 13 NBA seasons, Gallinari has averaged 15.6 points per game, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.9 minutes (728 games). He is a career 38.2% from three-point range and would give the Lakers another sharpshooter on their roster.
Lakers among teams with interest in Mo Bamba
Among other players the Lakers are expected to show interest in is Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba, who reportedly won’t be tendered a qualifying offer.
While Bamba’s four-year career with the Magic has largely been disappointing since being drafted sixth overall, he seemed to find his form last season, averaging 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range on 4.0 attempts per game.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!