Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
For the second year in a row, the Chicago Bulls have struck out in pursuit of a buyout target.
Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, formerly of the Detroit Pistons, is signing with the rival Milwaukee Bucks, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania on February 15.
“Gallinari seriously considered several teams – including Clippers, Cavaliers and Bulls – before choosing the Bucks where he’ll have opportunity for a strong role under his old coach Doc Rivers,” Charania wrote in a follow-up post on X, formerly Twitter.
The 6-foot-10 veteran is averaging 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists this season.
Free agent F Danilo Gallinari plans to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks, his agent Michael Tellem of @excelbasketball tells ESPN. Gallinari — a 14-year veteran — chose the Bucks over a few contenders because of the opportunity to play a role in Doc Rivers’ frontline rotation.
Shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc this season, he is a 38.2% shooter for his career and would have filled much of the void at power forward for the Bulls.
He also spent time under Bulls head coach Billy Donovan with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Danilo Gallinari Burns Bulls for 2nd Time
“You could sit there and say, ‘Yeah, with Patrick [Williams] out and Torrey [Craig] being out, it’d be nice right now to have a bigger forward. We need a forward,’” Donovan said, per The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry on January 31. “That would be something you’d want to do. But it’s injuries.”
It is not surprising, then, that the Bulls again pursued Gallinari, who was on a two-year, $13.3 million contract.
“The Bulls talked to Danilo Gallinari’s reps in the buyout market, per source,” NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson posted. “Gallinari plans to sign with Bucks. It’s second time Bulls angled for the shooter before he picked another team. They lost out to Celtics previously.”
Milwaukee sits third in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 8.0 games back of the Celtics for the top spot, but also 2.0 games behind the Cavaliers for second.
The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers are also on their heels.
Gallinari is looking to position himself for a deep postseason run while the Bulls are on pace for 38 wins, per ESPN’s NBA Basketball Power Index. The Bucks are on pace for 49 wins by comparison.
Bulls ‘Hope’ Patrick Williams Returns Out of All-Star Break
“Regarding Patrick Williams, Donovan said he doesn’t have discomfort walking and hope is at tail end of All-Star break that team can ramp him up with physical activity,” Johnson reported in a post on X on February 14. “It’s unlikely he’d play against Boston, the first game out of break. When he plays depends on how ramp up goes.”
Johnson also cleared up that this was always the plan for the fourth-year forward as he makes his way back from the foot injury that bothered him for some time before he was shut down.
“There has been no setback,” Johnson said in a quoted post of his original update. “This two-week period was to calm down the injury. All now depends on how Williams responds to ramp up activity.”
Williams missed the final nine games in the lead-up to the break.
He has missed 12 games this season after appearing in every game last season. He is also heading for restricted free agency this offseason.
The Bulls are 7-5 without Williams, who is averaging 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this season. Fortunately for the Bulls, Craig returned six games before the break. They have also found success trotting out Andre Drummond alongside Nikola Vucevic this season.