Danilo Gallinari on his future: 'I'd like to stay with the Hawks but everything can happen' / News - Basketnews.com

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Italian NBA forward Danilo Gallinari has been at the center of several trade rumors in the last few days. The Atlanta Hawks are struggling so far and the Italian player might be on the trade block.

Danilo Gallinari

MIN:22.35PTS:9.83 (52.3%)REB:4.21As:1.41ST:0.48BL:0.21TO:0.55GM:29ProfileNBA2021/2022

In an interview with Sky Sports Italy, Gallinari said that he'd like to stay with the Hawks until the end of the season but he knows that everything can happen in these types of situations.

"I'd like to stay here until the end of the season", Gallinari said. "Changing team during the season is never easy for several reasons but everything can happen".

Gallinari also explained the struggles that the Hawks are facing so far: "I didn't expect our defense to be this bad", the Italian player stated. "We're struggling, we talk about defense every day but then during the games, we don't show the right improvements".

The Italian forward also said that in close game situations, the offensive responsibilities are not that clear: "Down the stretch, our offensive responsibilities and our plays are not clear. Last season everything was more clear and defined: at the beginning, we were the worst team in fourth quarters, after the coaching change we became the best".

"When we're talking about close games, it's very important to know who needs to have the ball in his hands and which plays we need to run", Gallinari continued.

The Italian player has another year left on his deal with the Hawks, which is worth $21.4 million, but the final year of the contract is not guaranteed, so he might become a trade chip in several moves from now on.

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