Report: Nuggets' forward Danilo Gallinari will test unrestricted free agency

Denver Nuggets’ forward Danilo Gallinari will reportedly decline his $16.1 million player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Gallinari, 28, enjoyed one of the most efficient offensive seasons of his career last year, averaging 18.2 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent from three — the best the 6-foot-10 forward has shot from the floor since his rookie season in 2009.

Gallinari, who played 63 games this past season for Denver, the most he’s appeared in since the 2012-13 season, will be highly coveted on the open market. Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, who were each linked to Gallinari during each of the past two trade deadlines, figure to be interested again.

But amidst the fanfare of Gallinari’s impending unrestricted free agency, something that was assumed to be a formality as the season wound down, the swingman who has spent the last 5.5 years in Denver, continued to speak highly of the organization and city.

“I would love to end my career in Denver,” Gallinari said in February. “I would love to see when I’m older my jersey retired at the Pepsi Center. I would love all that. Is it going to happen? I hope so. I don’t know.”

Then in an interview with a European media outlet in April, Gallinari doubled down on his desire to stay with the Nuggets.

“The relationship between me, the city and the organization is great. This is the reason why I would love to reach an agreement to remain in Denver,” Gallinari said. “I love it here. And I would love to remain with the Nuggets.”

General manager Tim Connelly will be armed with maximum level cap space this summer and has also expressed a desire to bring Gallinari back next season, saying that it’s one of the organization’s “goals” this offseason to retain the Italian’s services.

Gallinari technically has until June 29 to either exercise or decline his player option for the 2017-18 season.