It has been reported by ESPN that the Boston Celtics have reached an agreement with veteran forward Danilo Gallinari to sign him to a two-year, $13.3 million deal. The power forward has been connected to Boston for more than a week, but since he needed to clear waivers after his trade from Atlanta to San Antonio after the July moratorium, the two sides were unable to make it public until today.
In order to bring in Gallinari, Boston will make use of a taxpayer mid-level exemption. Option for the player will be part of the agreement. The Italian was a salary-matching element in the Dejounte Murray trade that San Antonio made in June.
In an effort to help make the arrangement work, the $5 million partial guarantee on his $21.45 million pay for 2022/23 was upped from $5 million to $13 million. As a result, Gallinari’s salary-guarantee date was moved from June 29 to July 8. They may save $8.45MM on his non-guaranteed contract for 2022-23 by releasing him now.
Celtics to acquire Danilo Gallinari on two-year contract
It is expected that Gallinari will be allowed to sign with the Celtics on Sunday after clearing waivers, and he has already agreed to terms. On his new deal, he will allegedly get $13 million over the course of two seasons, with a player option for a third. The Celtics are utilizing their taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing process.
An already-deep Celtics squad could benefit from his addition. It’s possible that Ime Udoka’s presence in Boston will make Gallinari’s defensive shortcomings less obvious. Welcoming him to the team will be a big help offensively.
