Source: Gallinari, Nuggets agree to $42 million extension

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets have moved on from ‘Melo. Now, it’s Gallo’s time.

The Nuggets signed 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari to a four-year, roughly $42 million extension Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been officially announced.

The extension, first reported by the Denver Post and CBSSports, represents a big step for the Nuggets and their smooth-shooting Italian forward, who came over from the New York Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony trade last February.

Gallinari is averaging a career-best 17.4 points this season. He outplayed Anthony in the first meeting since they were swapped in the blockbuster trade, scoring a career-high 37 points as the Nuggets outlasted the Knicks 119-114 in double-overtime on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Nuggets (12-5) own a better record than every team in the West except Oklahoma City (14-3), and they’re 30-12 since reshaping their roster through the Anthony trade. This is a team that relies on a deep rotation and a roster that lacks a bona fide superstar.

In an email to the AP, Gallinari, whom coach George Karl predicts will be an All-Star soon, said he really likes Denver and that it was “easy to make this decision.”