This 76ers-Thunder Trade for Danilo Gallinari Could Actually Work

With the NBA trade deadline coming up in early February, teams all around the league are monitoring players and making calls in hopes of swooping in for an impact move that can aid in their championship hopes.

Right on cue, because of Danilo Gallinari's recent high-level play for the surging Oklahoma City Thunder, the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly interested in the 31-year-old-forward. And there's a real pathway to making a deal happen.

The player that may be the best for the 76ers to trade in this situation is Al Horford. While it is good that the Sixers have him available to contribute on both ends while Joel Embiid is injured, he has not quite proven to be the player they want and need him to be. The team is just a little too big, with a logjam in the frontcourt that needs to be alleviated with a perimeter threat like Gallo. An notably, Horford played for OKC coach Billy Donovan in college at Florida.

The Thunder, always game to pick up another first-round pick, could alternatively demand a future No. 1 Sixers selection to go along with salary filler.

Adding a player who can shoot the rock is essential for the 76ers. Therefore, grabbing a guy like Terrance Ferguson in a potential Gallinari-Horford trade could help matters as well.

Gallinari can help add more space on the floor for premier inside threats Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, and could step up as a stretch big man in a pinch. Whether built around Horford or a first-round pick, there are two viable paths to get Gallo to Philly -- and Brett Brown needs to consider each one long and hard.