Celtics' Danilo Gallinari Exercises $6.8M Contract Option; Missed Season with Injury
Danilo Gallinari is staying with the Boston Celtics.
The forward exercised the $6.8 million option on his contract for the 2023-24 season. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski relayed the news from Gallinari's agent, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management, on Thursday.
This will give Gallinari an opportunity to suit up for Boston for the first time after he signed with the team ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He joined the club after clearing waivers with the San Antonio Spurs, who acquired him in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks.
Gallinari figured to be an important contributor for a title contender in Boston, but he tore his ACL in August while playing for Italy during a FIBA World Cup qualifier.
That he also tore his ACL in 2013 made the setback all the more concerning.
"This has been a tough week for me as I have learned the extent of my injury," he said in a social media post. "This game means everything to me and not being able to be on the court with my Celtics teammates hurts. I plan to give everything I can to the Celtics organization and my teammates as we hunt for a title."
While Gallinari told reporters in March he hadn't ruled out returning for the playoffs and was motivated by that possibility during the rehab process, he ultimately missed his first season with the team.
He is a proven commodity, though, who has been in the league since he was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2008 NBA draft. The journeyman has also played for the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Hawks and has averaged double-digit scoring totals every season except for when he was a rookie.
Gallinari sports career averages of 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from deep.
Still, he will be 35 years old throughout the 2023-24 season and is coming off a major injury.
It is unrealistic for the Celtics to expect him to be anything more than a role player, but his ability to hit from three-point range means he is someone who can take advantage of the spacing created by the defensive attention Jayson Tatum and others draw.
And that will make Boston all the more dangerous.
