The Denver Nuggets are reportedly looking to work a contract extension with Danilo Gallinari and this comes as the team has talked with the Celtics about a trade this offseason, while Ty Lawson could be traded after his second DUI with the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets interested. The Nuggets are also reportedly interested in bringing back Darrell Arthur as a free agent.
The Nuggets have been fairly active this offseason by bringing back Jameer Nelson on a free agent deal and extending Wilson Chandler and now they could be ready for some other moves. Danilo Gallinari has been mentioned in trade rumors this year with the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics interested in acquiring him, but the Denver Nuggets may end up keeping the young forward. According to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, the Nuggets "would like to open talks" with Gallinari about a contract extension this summer.
Denver has also been looking at potential trades with Ty Lawson, as it looks like the Nuggets are ready to move on from him after his second DUI arrest. The Nuggets may waive Lawson if they can't find a trade, but they have some interest from teams, as Chris Mannix at SI.com reports that the LA Lakers, Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons are looking into Lawson. The Lakers let Jeremy Lin go and Lawson could be an option to start with Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell, while the Pistons could trade Brandon Jennings after signing Reggie Jackson to a contract in free agency.
Lawson had interest earlier in the offseason from the Sacramento Kings, but the team signed Rajon Rondo and they likely will not come in for a deal with the Nuggets. Lawson has had his issues with the front office and now Denver appears ready to move on. The team signed Nelson back and drafted Emmanuel Mudiay in the first round and that could signal that the Nuggets will push those players at point guard over Lawson moving forward. Lawson comes in after averaging 15 points and nearly 9.6 assists per game last season for the Nuggets.
The Gallinari news comes after some trade talk and the Post reports that the Nuggets see the forward as an "important piece" moving forward after being acquired in the Carmelo Anthony trade. Gallinari had s strong finish to the season after coming back from a knee injury and averaged 12 points and shot over 40 percent from the field. Pro Basketball Talk writes that the extension talk could be a way for the Nuggets to increase his "trade value" and the site reports that an extension could give Gallinari around $40 million for three years. PBT also writes that rules state Gallinari can't be traded for six months if he gets that extension.
The Nuggets are also interested in bringing back free agent Darrell Arthur, who played 58 games for the team last season and averaged 6.6 points per game. The Nuggets could use some depth behind Kenneth Faried and Arthur has been solid in limited minutes for the team. Arthur spent the 2013-14 season with the Nuggets and averaged 17 minutes per game and he has had some interest from the Clippers, according to the Denver Post. That interest is likely off now with Josh Smith and Paul Pierce signed in LA.
Check here for more on the Nuggets interest in a Gallinari extension, the interest from the Boston Celtics in a Gallinari trade and for more on the Nuggets potential deals with Ty Lawson and interest from the Lakers, Pistons and Rockets.
