Although everyone outside of Brooklyn feels the Nets need to make a move for a third star, general manager Sean Marks has expressed his top priority in the offseason is re-sign Joe Harris.
But it’s no secret more than a few teams will be prepared to pay Harris a hefty sum of cash for his services. Brooklyn’s sharpshooter has blossomed into one of the league’s best at a time when long-range shooting ability is the most important skill a role player can have.
While it seems unlikely the Nets will lose out on Harris, it doesn’t hurt to have a back-up plan.
And if Danillo Gallinari is said back-up plan, the Nets are doing all right.
A member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019-20, Gallinari was asked if playing for a title mattered more than the amount of money he’d make on his next contract at “Festival dello Sport,” according to Sportando, to which he replied:
“Yes. At this time, yes. I’m not twenty anymore.”
The Nets will have a taxpayer MLE, which may put them at a slight disadvantage in the sweepstakes to sign the stretch four — from a monetary perspective. But Gallinari wants to win. There are only a few other teams who’ll give him as good of a chance as Brooklyn with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving healthy.
Gallinari is a career 38% 3-point shooter, though he’s shot over 40% from deep in each of the last two seasons — 43.3% in 2018-19 and 40.5% last season.
Even if Brooklyn gets Harris back, it still might be worth kicking the tires on Gallinari if he’s truly not looking for a huge contract with his next deal. Can’t have enough long-range shooters — especially if the one you’re adding is 6-foot-0.