***This story contains important updates below.***
In a rare and unusual move, the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to a three-team sign and trade that will ultimately send Danilo Gallinari to Los Angeles and bring in Paul Millsap to the Nuggets. The Atlanta Hawks will receive a first round pick that Los Angeles obtained from Houston in the Chris Paul trade, and will take on Jamal Crawford, who will likely be bought out, and Diamond Stone as well. Gallinari will take on a three year, $65 million contract as part of the deal.
As for now, the complete terms of the deal have not been fully reported so these are subject to change as the finer details are being worked out.
For the Nuggets, this means a couple of things. First and foremost, after seven seasons, the Danilo Gallinari era in Denver is officially over. Gallo had a good run as a Nugget and will now be the newest part of the Clippers, alongside regulars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers have reportedly been coveting Gallinari for some time now, and there’s no question he will be a good fit on that roster.
Parts of the below section are only pertinent if Paul Millsap is included in the sign and trade.
Second, this also means that Paul Millsap will not technically be coming to Denver as a free agent. Though he agreed to the terms of his 3 year, $90 million deal yesterday, since it is still the July moratorium teams can negotiate how the acquisition occurs. This also means that the terms of Millsap’s third year are subject to change, but we won’t officially know everything about that until the deal is complete.
Finally, with Danilo Gallinari officially off the books, this move gives Denver more flexibility to keep working towards another high profile free agent. Of course, for the Nuggets this hopefully signals a desire to continue the pursuit of point guard George Hill. Earlier today, it was reported by Sam Amick that Hill is still in play for Denver, but the team would need to clear salary place first in order to reach an agreement. This move could be the first step in that process.
As always, stay tuned for updates.
Update 11:45 PM MT
The official details have not been released but Sam Amick is reporting that Millsap is NOT a part of the sign and trade but rather a separate transaction. If that is the case, the terms of his deal should not change. But it also means that Denver is not opening up extra cap space and sending away any other contracts. They are rumored, however, to acquire a 2nd round pick from Atlanta.