The Atlanta Hawks thought they were getting the same ultra-reliable shooter and quality scorer that many teams had already seen when they acquired Danilo Gallinari via trade, but the deal ended up being much more trouble than it was worth. Gallinari is still making the Hawks pay years later.
The 2025 second-round pick Atlanta traded away to acquire Gallinari was finally used to select a player after years of protections changed the status of this pick. The champion Oklahoma City Thunder ended up making the selection, and they brought in someone who could be better than Gallo was in Atlanta.
The Thunder used the No. 44 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Northwestern guard/wing combo Brooks Barnhizer. The former Wildcats star gives the Thunder yet anther piece of half-court scoring skill Atlanta could have used.
Hawks trade details for Danilo Gallinari finalized years later in 2025 NBA Draft
A 6-6, 230-pound wing, Barnhizer averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. A versatile player with some serious scoring upside, Barnhizer could have been a worthwhile addition to Atlanta's developmental pipeline.
Gallinari averaged 12.4 points per game in two seasons with the Hawks, but that was a decline from the numbers he had previously amassed with Denver and Oklahoma City. Gallinari lost his starting role in Atlanta, and he never established himself as a high-end starter in the NBA after that trade.
Still, this isn't going to put a damper on what was a strong few days for the Hawks. After trading out of the lottery and landing an unprotected first-round pick from a New Orleans Pelicans team that is not expected to be very good next year, Atlanta drafted a local product in Georgia's Asa Newell, who many mock drafters had picked before No. 23 overall.
The Gallinari swing and miss was one of many unforced errors Atlanta made during the early stages of the Trae Young era. Time will tell what ends up happening with Barnhizer and if he ends up providing Oklahoma City with more value than the Hawks received from the Italian stretch big.