Do the Atlanta Hawks extend Danilo Gallinari, the $21.4 million question

The Atlanta Hawks are facing a very interesting offseason given they were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round by the Miami Heat. They are whispers about them needing a fairly major roster overhaul if they are going to get back to the giddy heights of the Eastern Conference Finals from the season before.

One of the problems that the Hawks face is that they have $151.2 of committed salary on their books if they guarantee Danilo Gallinari‘s contract for next season. This number drops to $134.5 million if they do not guarantee Gallinari. The Hawks have until June 29 before they have to make this decision.

One thing in Gallinari’s favor is that Hawks’ ownership has stated that they are not afraid to go into the luxury tax for the right player. However, if they can trade Gallinari with another player for a star then he will be gone quicker than Trae Young’s first step.

The Atlanta Hawks still have time to make the Danilo Gallinari decision.

As mentioned earlier, the Hawks have until near the end of June before they need to make this decision. This means that they can go through the draft process but need to make the call more than a month out from free agency.

The problem with that is the Hawks have nine players on their books with Gallinari. They will want to do what they can to re-sign Delon Wright who was a crucial piece for the team towards the end of the season.

While the Hawks are likely to offer minimum contracts to their draftees and some players from last season, they want to get better. In order to do this, they need to move some pieces, and Gallinari and his contract are easy to move.

He is likely to be a draft-night trade, but if the Hawks can’t move him, they need to guarantee him so that they do not have a $5.0 million cap hit if they do not guarantee his deal. They can always trade him throughout the season if needs be.