Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets Agree to 4-Year Deal

Danilo Gallinari is going to be sticking around with the Denver Nuggets for quite some time.

According to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post, league sources have confirmed that Gallinari has signed a four-year, $42 million extension with the team.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard has provided further confirmation that the deal is done.  

The sweet-shooting Italian came over from the New York Knicks as part of the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade last February and is off to the best start of his career. 

He’s averaging 17.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field—all career-highs or extremely close.

Indeed, the "Rooster," as he is known—English for his Italian nickname "Gallo"—is the leading scorer on the highest-scoring team in the league.

He is finally maturing into the player the Knicks hoped he would become when they selected him sixth overall in the 2008 draft.

Gallo started his professional ball career in 2004 in his native Italy when he was just 16. Now, eight years later at the tender age of 23, he’s getting a big NBA contract extension.

He absolutely deserves it.

The small forward is taking less three-point shots this year, which was his bread and butter in his first few seasons. He has gained newfound confidence in his abilities in all facets of the game.

If anyone wasn’t sure of this, look no further than his dominant performance against his former team this past Saturday.

He dropped a career-high 37 points in an overtime win, with nine of those coming in the second and final OT period. He got to the line 20 times and nailed 18 of them while pulling down 11 boards.

The Nuggets were extremely wise to extend him for four more years and he is certainly a piece they can build around and compete with during that time.