Skip to main content
Inside The Thunder

Danilo Gallinari Trade Talks Take Place During Thunder's 109-103 win over Cleveland

During tonight's win over the Cavaliers, talks were ongoing between the Heat, Thunder, and Grizzlies that could send Danilo Gallinari to Miami.
Erik Gee|
Danilo Gallinari Trade Talks Take Place During Thunder's 109-103 win over Cleveland
Danilo Gallinari Trade Talks Take Place During Thunder's 109-103 win over Cleveland

Wednesday was a strange night for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After four days off, they returned to the court and came away with a 109-103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

We'll get to the outcome in a bit. During the second quarter, news broke that the Maimi Heat were working on a deal to acquire Danilo Gallinari. If the deal goes through the Heat will not only get Gallinari they will also have gotten Andre Igoudala in the process. Pat Riley did manage to come away with Iguodala, as part of a deal with Memphis, but as of now, Gallinari is still with the Thunder. 

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that talks are ongoing between the Grizzlies, Heat, and Oklahoma City, and could extend into Thursday. One of the hang-ups to consummating this three-team trade is that the Heat take the protections off the 2023 first-round pick they owe the Thunder. The pick is top 14 protected.  

Update: Two hours ago (7:30 Central time) Wojnarowski was reporting that the Thunder and Heat are trying to work out a contract extension for Gallinari who can become a free agent at the end of the season.  The Heat is trying to preserve cap space for 2021.

Update: As of 11:00 February 6th.  Wojnarowski is reporting that Jae Crowder and Igoudala are on their way to Maimi.  Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow,  and Soloman Hill are going to Memphis. The Heat and Grizzlies are focusing on a two-team deal with the Thunder unable to get a three-team deal worked out. However, talks are fluid till 2 pm.

Billy Donovan was not told that he had to pull Gallinari at any point on Wednesday. Donovan says that the front office does not "inundate" him with every possible scenario that could happen, and he prefers it that way. Donovan also says that when there is something of substance, he will be part of the conversation. During the post-game press conference, Donovan said he had not been told about a potential deal for Gallinari.  

Dennis Schroder is another hot ticket item for the Thunder. ESPN was reporting earlier on Wednesday that the Lakers were in talks with Sam Presti about a trade. Those talks didn't get far, as Presti is saying that Schroder must bring a "heavy return."

Not only is he involved in trade talks, but Schroder is also leading the Thunder to wins. Off the bench, he played 33 minutes and scored 30 points. As impressive as his 10 of 17-night shooting was. His 8 of 11 from the charity stripe was what made the difference. Schroder hit three big free-throws in the last minute of the game to seal the victory. As for his technical foul that came after, he had an offensive foul reversed.  Donovan says he was told by the officials it was for running to the other end of the court. According to Chris Paul, "that's a tough 25-hundred dollar call." 

The Thunder gets 24 hours rest before they host the Pistons on Friday. Tipoff is at 7 on Fox Sports Oklahoma. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Erik Gee
ERIK GEE

With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa. 

Share on XFollow @InsideOKCNBA
Home/News