NBA Free Agency 2020: Landing Spots for Danilo Gallinari, Hassan Whiteside, More

If you've heard anything about 2020 NBA free agency, it probably wasn't flattering.

Few teams had substantial spending money even before the coronavirus pandemic affected the financial picture. The player pool also looks light on difference-makers, especially if you believe (as most do) that top talents like Anthony Davis, Brandon Ingram and Gordon Hayward will stay put.

It's important, then, to calibrate expectations and realize this almost certainly isn't the kind of market that will reshape the basketball landscape. Once you shift the conversation to support players, though, then it's easy to see how these hoopers-for-hire can make impacts.

Top Landing Spots for 2020 Free Agents

Danilo Gallinari: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat and the Rooster were close enough to joining forces at the trade deadline they were ironing out a contract extension. But those talks broke down, and with them, so did the entire acquisition.

Nearly five months later, though, their union still makes sense.

Miami could use a stretch 4, and it needs more shot-creators around Jimmy Butler. In each of the past two seasons, Danilo Gallinari has averaged at least 19 points and two three-pointers on better than 40 percent shooting. Roughly 15 percent of his threes and half of his two-pointers over that stretch have been unassisted, so when he needs to generate his own scoring chances, he can.

He's been a huge help to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they don't fit together cleanly going forward. He will be 32 in August, and they should be turning their attention toward their massive rebuilding project. Miami, the only win-now team with major money to burn, can put Gallinari in an even more competitive setting and pay him handsomely—provided he will take a short-term deal that allows the Heat to chase their 2021 dreams.

Hassan Whiteside: Charlotte Hornets

When the Portland Trail Blazers needed a stand-in for hobbled starter Jusuf Nurkic, they looked in Hassan Whiteside's direction. He did everything asked of him and then some.

His 14.2 rebounds per game are a career high, while his 16.3 points and 3.1 blocks are both the second-most he's ever averaged. For context, he's on pace to become only the fifth player ever to record a 16/14/3 stat line, and he's the group's only member who's not in the Hall of Fame. While he's been knocked in the past for providing hollow numbers, these have substance—his plus-9.1 net rating differential is the best in the rotation.

All of that said, it's tough to see this relationship lasting. The Blazers tabbed Whiteside as a temporary replacement, and that should be how they still see him. With Nurkic and Zach Collins both back at full strength, there won't be a need for Whiteside in the future (at least, not big enough of one to pay whatever he costs).

Despite the numbers, he won't have his pick of destinations. Teams aren't spending big on traditional centers anymore, and this offseason's big-man market looks crowded. But the North Carolina native might have a chance to go home. The Charlotte Hornets' only center signed beyond this season is Cody Zeller, and he's approaching the final year of his deal. Whiteside would be an upgrade and an interesting pick-and-roll partner for Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier.

Serge Ibaka: Golden State Warriors

If Serge Ibaka has it his way, he'll stay north of the border in free agency.

"I'm going to stay, bro," Ibaka said in a recent interview. "This place is beautiful. Have you been to Toronto before? It's a beautiful city. Beautiful city, beautiful people here and we have one of the best teams. Why leave, bro?"

The answer, as it often is in these discussions, is business. Ibaka is one of several key contributors for the Raptors entering free agency, along with Fred VanVleet and Marc Gasol. There's only so much money to go around, and Toronto must be careful about maintaining maximum flexibility for 2021.

It seems likely the Raptors will be forced to choose between Ibaka and Gasol, especially if they also bring back restricted free agent Chris Boucher. Ibaka is younger and more athletic than Gasol, but that may not matter if Toronto is only extending a short-term pact. In that case, it could easily decide it prefers Gasol's passing and instincts.

If Ibaka finds himself looking for work, he should look hard at the team his Raptors slew in the 2019 NBA Finals. The Warriors can keep him in the championship race and carve out a substantial role for him. They need frontcourt reinforcements, particularly bigs who can shoot. If Ibaka is willing to play for their mid-level exception, he would be a dream get.