Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari is expected to opt out and test free agency, per report

Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract and enter unrestricted free agency, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The pending decision positions the stretch combo forward to command top dollar on the market.

Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly wants to keep Gallinari as part of the team’s core, according to The Vertical, and Denver can offer its sharpshooting forward a more lengthy and lucrative contract than any other team. Gallo is also open to returning to Denver on a long-term deal, per Wojnarowski.

But the Nuggets failed to make the playoffs this year after swapping centers with the Portland Trail Blazers mid-season — a move that eventually cost Denver its standing as eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Now Gallinari is in prime position to either cash in with the Nuggets or join a contender and compete for a championship elsewhere. The 28-year-old shooter left $16.1 million on the table by opting out, but he could command a near max contract as one of the top free agents available on the market this summer.

The Nuggets could offer Gallo a five-year max contract worth more than $153 million before annual raises. Competing teams can only offer four-year deals in the $123 million ballpark.

Gallinari joined the Nuggets in 2011 as part of the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, health has been an issue for the Italian forward, who has played 70 or more games just once in his four full seasons in Denver.

But Gallinari did play in 63 games for the Nuggets last season, averaging 18.2 points per game on a career second-best 38.9 percent shooting from three-point range. He remains a valuable perimeter shooter who can play at either forward spot and will likely be coveted by teams looking to add spacing and versatility to their frontcourt.

Gallinari will join a free-agent forward class that also includes: Utah’s Gordon Hayward, Atlanta’s Paul Millsap, and Clippers forward Blake Griffin, each of whom is expected to opt out and test free agency.