Danilo Gallinari reportedly is back on the Miami Heat’s radar as they look to bolster their roster with veteran players.
Sources tell @5ReasonsSports that the names below have came up in trade conversations for Miami since the moratorium started:
• Robert Covington
• Jonas Valanciunas
• Saddiq Bey
• Danilo Gallinari (3rd year in a row)Now, I am not by ANY means saying these players will…
— Greg Sylvander (@GregSylvander) July 8, 2023
Gallinari did not play at all last season after tearing his ACL while playing for Italy during the offseason. He recently was traded to the Washington Wizards in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics.
With the Heat already parting with Max Strus in a sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gabe Vincent signing with the Los Angeles Lakers and Tyler Herro reportedly a part of the Damian Lillard trade talks, Gallinari could provide much-needed offense to the Miami roster. The 34-year-old has averaged 15.6 points per game during his 13-season NBA career and been linked to Miami as far back as 2020.
Among the other players mentioned, 32-year-old Robert Covington averaged 6.0 points per game for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. 31-year-old Jonas Valanciunas put up 14.1 points per game for the New Orleans Pelicans, while 24-year-old Saddiq Bey averaged 13.8 points per game for the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.
All of them, with the exception of Bey, have extensive playoff experience that would help the Heat as they attempt to get back to the NBA Finals for a third time since 2020.
But the veteran squarely in the Heat’s sights is Lillard, who has requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers and repeatedly made it clear that Miami is his preferred destination.
Those talks seem to be plodding along, with the Trail Blazers trying to maximize the return for their 32-year old franchise player and the Heat likely trying to use his affinity for them as leverage in the negotiations.
Miami might have to wait until the Lillard situation reaches a conclusion before it can make another move to acquire someone else. The Heat have no idea what they eventually may have to part with in a trade for Lillard, so it would benefit them to get that squared away as soon as possible.
The Heat, though, are wise to have so many veteran options under consideration, which should give them a chance to add another useful player at some point before the 2023-24 campaign begins.
