The Boston Celtics fell just short of winning the NBA Finals this year, losing in six games to the Golden State Warriors. However, they did not rest on their laurels hoping for better luck next season. The front office got to work almost immediately looking to plug some holes and upgrade the roster.
Brad Stevens was lauded for the transactions he made this offseason. One of those moves was signing Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari was traded by the Atlanta Hawks to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Dejounte Murray blockbuster, but he didn’t stay with the Spurs very long.
San Antonio waived him before he could even get on a plane. Gallinari would end up signing a deal with the Celtics once he cleared waivers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like he will ever suit up for the team.
Gallinari injured his knee recently while playing for Italy in EuroBasket. It was originally thought to be a meniscus injury and everything else was intact and stable. It would sideline him for about two months, putting him on track to return to the court in November.
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Unfortunately, that original diagnosis turned out to not be correct. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, it has been revealed after further evaluation that Gallinari did indeed tear the ACL in his left knee. That is the same knee that Gallinari injured and had ACL surgery on back in 2013.
This is a tough blow for the Celtics and Gallinari as he looked to be a great fit with the team. In need of some more scoring punch in the frontcourt, Gallinari was more than capable of providing that.
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With him sidelined for the duration of the season, Boston could dip back into the free agent market to fill the void. There are plenty of veterans still available, with Carmelo Anthony potentially being the top target to fill the role the team envisioned for Gallinari.
