A former $45 million Denver Nuggets combo forward is reportedly open to an NBA return.
The Nuggets may not need his services per se, but perhaps some NBA squad could take a flier on the 36-year-old sharpshooter
Danilo Gallinari may have been drafted by the New York Knicks and enjoyed a (marginally) more prolific scoring season on the L.A. Clippers, but he logged his longest sustained NBA run with the Nuggets.
Would the NBA be Open to a Danilo Gallinari Return?
Now, it appears Gallinari may not quite be done with the NBA, despite having hung up his sneakers after 2024.
Per Iacopo De Santis of Pianeta Basket, the 6-foot-10 vet may be contemplating a comeback.
Gallinari also said he would like to have one last year in the NBA.
“Hopefully, I always hope so. If I were to return, it would be as a veteran, kind of like insurance for a franchise. I wouldn’t play much and would serve as a helpful presence”. pic.twitter.com/LHRMbVoJG5
— Iacopo De Santis (@iacopodesantis) August 24, 2025
“I always hope so. If I were to return, it would be as a veteran, kind of like insurance for a franchise,” Gallinari revealed. “I wouldn’t play much and would serve as a helpful presence.”
Gallinari was one of the standout pieces returning to Denver in the three-team trade that sent 10-time All-Star combo forward Danilo Gallinari to the New York Knicks at the 2011 season deadline.
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Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams and Raymond Felton all arrived from Denver. The Minnesota Timberwolves flipped big man Kosta Koufos to the Knicks and a future second-round draft pick to the Nuggets, and the Knicks flipped center Timofey Mozgov, forward Wilson Chandler, one first-round pick and two second-rounders to Denver. The Knicks also shipped out Anthony Randolph, guard Corey Brewer and center Eddy Curry to the Timberwolves.
Gallinari emerged as the standout return piece in the exchange. Just a year later, he inked a four-season, $42 million rookie scale contract extension, and followed that up with a $45.2 million extension in 2015. He eventually agreed to a three-season, $64.8 million deal with the Nuggets in a sign-and-trade with the L.A. Clippers.
Across a 14-year season with the Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks from 2008-24 (he missed the entire 2013-14 and 2022-23 seasons with ACL injuries), the 37-year-old averaged 14.9 points on .428/.381/.469 shooting splits, 4.7 boards, 1.9 dimes, and 0.7 swipes in 777 regular season bouts.
Gallinari also technically was with the Boston Celtics, but he never suited up for them while recuperating from his ACL tear in 2022-23.
He split the 2023-24 season between three clubs, posting a combined career-worst average of 5.7 points on .437/.323/.857 shooting splits, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for the Wizards, Pistons and Bucks.
This past season, Gallinari joined Puerto Rican squad the Vaqueros de Bayamon, earning a title and a Finals MVP for his efforts.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I consider it very, very unlikely. The more time passes, the more complicated it seems,” Gallinari revealed, per De Santis. “In order to return to Milan, you have to be wanted. Even during my last years in the NBA, I thought about coming back to Milan. But again, to return, you have to be wanted. It’s not like I wake up one morning, make a call and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m ready to come back, do you want me?’ That’s not how it works.”
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