D’Angelo Russell’s play has reportedly changed the ‘calculus’ for the Lakers leading up to the trade deadline:

Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers Rob Pelinka.

The Los Angeles Lakers may be in a better position to make a smaller, fringe addition rather than the blockbuster trade they have often been associated with during this transaction window.

With a need for three-point shooting, they have shown interest in Detroit Pistons forward Danilo Gallinari, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

“Another player rival executives are monitoring is Danilo Gallinari who’s continued to be a knockdown 3-point shooter while playing minutes at the four and small ball five at times in the final year of his contract,” Scotto wrote on February 5. The Lakers are among the teams who’ve checked in on Gallinari’s price tag to acquire him, league sources told HoopsHyp Gallinari, 35, is averaging 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists this season.

A career 38.2% three-point shooter, Gallinari is shooting just 35.5% from deep this season. But he is shooting 58.3% from deep since the Washington Wizards traded him to the Pistons on January 14. Gallinari’s contract is not large enough – nor is he the caliber of player, particularly at this stage of his career – to warrant surrendering one of the Lakers’ pricier players like Rui Hachimura or D’Angelo Russell, both of whom the Lakers’ have grown lukewarm on including in a trade.

And they aren’t making Austin Reaves available for anything short of a legitimate third star, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha on January 26.

With only one first-round pick at the Lakers’ disposal, this hypothetical trade could land Galliari.