The LA Clippers are finalizing a sign-and-trade agreement to acquire free-agent forward Danilo Gallinari on a three-year, $65 million contract, league sources told ESPN.
Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta are working out the final details of a deal and executives involved in the talks do not anticipate any snags that could derail the completion of the trade, league sources said.
The Clippers will send Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone and a future first-round pick -- likely its 2018 pick recently acquired in a deal with Houston -- to the Atlanta Hawks, league sources said. Denver will minimally receive a second-round pick in the trade for Gallinari, who played the past six seasons for the Nuggets.
The proposed deal is poised to move the Clippers' payroll to $110.4 million in 2017-18, a salary figure based upon 10 players under guaranteed contracts. The Clippers will move into the financially punitive repeater tax if the team's salary rises over $119 million.
The Clippers sold Gallinari, 28, on a frontcourt that includes him and All-Stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Gallinari could've waited until Gordon Hayward made his decision, expected on Tuesday, and had the opportunity to sign with the Boston Celtics if Hayward passed on them. Nevertheless, Gallinari passed and moved in the past 24 hours toward a deal with the Clippers.
Los Angeles is trying to reboot its roster post-Chris Paul, and Gallinari is a floor-spacing shooter whom the Clippers have coveted for several years.
Atlanta is moving toward a complete rebuild and Crawford will likely be waived before the season, allowing him to become a free agent. Stone was a 2016 second-round pick out of Maryland.
Crawford's preference would be to join rookie Lonzo Ball with the Los Angeles Lakers, a source told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. Crawford has no interest in playing with the Hawks and he prefers to be waived to become a free agent. The Lakers have strong interest in signing Crawford as well, a source told Spears, and have the money to do so.
Gallinari became expendable for the Nuggets once they agreed to a deal with Atlanta forward Paul Millsap.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Bobby Marks contributed to this report.