For the better part of five seasons, the L.A. Clippers have had significant issues when it came to filling the small forward spot with a lengthy, two-way player to pair with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. A lot of that was due to financial restraints, and it kept the Los Angeles-based team from having postseason success beyond the second round. Going into the 2017-18 season, however, the Clippers have their guy in Danilo Gallinari.

Last week, the Clippers officially announced the sign-and-trade deal with the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets that saw guard Jamal Crawford and center Diamond Stone head to Atlanta, forward Paul Millsap move to Denver, and forward Gallinari move to Los Angeles. Gallinari’s arrival to the Clippers is something head coach and President Doc Rivers as well as vice president Lawrence Frank have been trying to make happen for years due to his numerous abilities on the court.