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NY Knicks: 1 free agent target on every Northwest division team

By Jeffrey Bellone

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 06: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 06, 2020 in New York City. Oklahoma City Thunder defeats the New York Knicks 126-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 06: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 06, 2020 in New York City. Oklahoma City Thunder defeats the New York Knicks 126-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 23: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during a opening night game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

Potential Knicks free agent targets: Danilo Gallinari, Oklahoma City Thunder

In contrast to the Wolves on the previous slide, the Thunder have several players who could be offseason targets for the Knicks. But since this piece focuses on free agents, we will leave the Chris Paul discussion for another day, and highlight former Knick Danilo Gallinari.

New York desperately needs shooting at the forward position and Gallo would give them exactly that. If you are a Knicks fan who remembers watching him awkwardly roam the Madison Square Garden floor as a rookie, it’s hard to believe he is already 32-years-old. But Gallinari is all grown up and he has become one of the most lethal three-point shooting big men in the league.

After finishing 5th in three-point percentage in 2018-19 (43.3 percent), he fell off slightly this past season, but still shot over 40 percent (40.6). For someone who plays the majority of his minutes at power forward, he ranks among the 90th percentile for shooting bigs.

New York needs a player like Gallinari to play alongside Mitchell Robinson, whose range is limited to the five feet surrounding the rim. Gallinari can open the lane for attacking players like RJ Barrett while giving Robinson freedom to crash the rim and clean-up on misses.

Next. Projecting NYK roster with Chris Paul, Fred VanVleet. dark

The Knicks will have plenty of cap space to allure Gallinari back to New York. The question will be whether he wants to join a rebuilding team at this point in his career, and whether the Knicks want to commit long-term money to an aging shooter with a previous history of injuries. But at the right price, he would be a welcome addition to New York’s roster.

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