Report: Danilo Gallinari finalizing two-year, $34 million extension with Nuggets
The Nuggets have made some significant changes this summer to try to begin to turn the franchise in a positive direction. The team's latest move, however, is aimed at keeping one of its best players firmly in place.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports/FOX Sports 1 NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Danilo Gallinari is finalizing an agreement on a contract extension worth $34 million over an additional two years.
Gallinari was entering the final year of a deal that would have paid him $11.5 million next season, but the extension included a restructuring that will bump his 2015-16 salary to $14 million. He'll earn $15.5 million in 2016-17, and has a player option worth $16.1 million for the 2017-18 season.
This was a smart move by the Nuggets. It's not easy to add legitimate talent like Gallinari to an organization that has struggled with continuity over the past couple of seasons, and it gives the team a core piece to build the offense around.
There are some durability concerns with Gallinari; he missed all of the 2014 season after suffering a torn ACL injury, and appeared in only 59 games last year. But he was rolling by the end of the season, scoring 40 points in a late March game against the Magic, and dropping 47 on Dallas a couple of weeks later.
Gallinari averaged 12.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game for the Nuggets last season, while starting in 27 of his 59 appearances.
(h/t: Yahoo Sports)
Photo Credit: Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports
