NBA, Dinwiddie to the Lakers. Gallinari in Europe?

Dinwiddie chooses the Lakers, where will Gallinari and Lowry end up? The free agent market has its charm, it offers deals at sale prices to franchises who have not been able to afford onerous transactions before the deadline for transfers. There are many veterans who have their petrol tanks in reserve, but who can still lend a hand to playoff teams looking for low-cost reinforcements. The latest case is that of center Bismark Biyombo, who signed with the Thunder to give Chet Holmgren a handful of minutes of rest. It works like this: the cutting by the previous franchise of a guaranteed contract which must be paid in full until the end of the season, or the consensual termination, allows veterans who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time to find themselves a team at minimalist figures. The first to do so was Spencer Dinwiddie, the 30-year-old former Brooklyn Nets director, who has already chosen who to end the season with: alongside LeBron James, in Los Angeles to be precise.

DINWIDDIE AT THE LAKERS

—

He was cut by Toronto after the trade that would have brought him to Canada in exchange for the German Schroeder, who ended up in the Big Apple. The Raptors are banking on Quickley, taken during the current season from the New York Knicks, for that role, they didn’t know what to do with Dinwiddie and didn’t want to pay him any bonuses, playing him on the court. So his adventure across the border never really began. At that point the Lakers and Mavericks were down for Dinwiddie. In Texas he would have been the return horse, after having already teamed up with Doncic on the perimeter of Coach Kidd’s team. Instead he chose the Lakers. Last night he was at the yellow and purple game, next to Rob Pelinka, the first manager of the franchise from the city of angels, to see them win against New Orleans. And now the rumors are confirmed: he will sign as a free agent with the Californians, integrating the perimeter made up of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. We’ll see if he will start as a starter, or will be used by Coach Ham as a sixth man. Dinwiddie at the Nets in 48 games played scored 12.6 points per game and averaged 6 assists. Significant contribution, even if the 39% shooting from the field underlines his lack of efficiency.

WHERE IS GALLINARI GOING?

—

Danilo Gallinari is looking for a team after being cut by the Pistons, with whom he played just 6 games, acquired from Washington along the way, scoring 52 points overall. The 35-year-old Italian has shown that he is physically recovered after the second operation on the cruciate ligament of his reinjured left knee in September 2022. His mobility is now reduced, but he scores 7.3 points on average in 14.8 minutes of use this season 2023-24, considering both stages, Wizards and Pistons. In short, he brings points expressed from the bench, as a tactical shooting center, capable of widening the field in attack. And scoring a basket with this ease for the two teams with the worst NBA record is not a given. He shoots 45% from the field, 85% from the free throw line. Jusuf Nurkic, the Bosnian center of the Phoenix Suns, invoked him as reinforcement on social media, calling him brate, brother. The two played together in Denver. Then the team reference was Gallo, who now, if anything, would be Nurkic’s reserve in Arizona. Phoenix is ​​an ambitious team, aiming for the title, the suggestion is obvious. A return to the Nuggets who have an indecent bench to be the reigning champions would be romantic, while the one in Boston where his two-year contract remained unfinished due to the latest injury – he never made his debut for the Celtics – would feel like the closure of the circle. But there are no certainties. Except that Gallinari is waiting for the call of a “racing” team to chase the first Finals of his career, and his time in the NBA is long, starting in 2008 for the Knicks. If the right phone call doesn’t arrive he could return to Europe. Many fans would like him in “his” Milan, sooner or later. He is from Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, he started “getting serious” with Olimpia…

LOWRY

—

Also worth keeping an eye on is Marcus Morris, a 34-year-old winger who shot 3-pointers at 40% in 7 games for the Sixers before being sold to the Spurs who have no use for him, they will get rid of him, Joe Harris, a veteran shooting winger cut by Detroit, and Killian Hayes, just 22 years old, pick number 7 in the 2020 draft that the Pistons have already rejected. The Frenchman in particular deserves another chance, as a director who is still immature, but with potential. However, the most intriguing name among those offered by the free agent market is that of Kyle Lowry. He is 37 years old and is now in the twilight phase of his career, but in the 2023 Finals for Miami he averaged 11 points and 5 assists while shooting 42% from 3 points. In short, he could still have something to give and certainly not in Charlotte where he ended up, dumped via trade by the Heat. If he is released, as is probable, he would be useful to several ambitious teams. Philadelphia seems to be the favorite: he was born there and played in college at Villanova University