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Celtics’ Danilo Gallinari exercises player option to return for 2023-24 season
Gallinari's first season in Boston was halted after he tore his ACL during a FIBA qualifying game in August.
After a season lost to injury, veteran forward Danilo Gallinari will look to make his Celtics debut during the 2023-24 campaign.
The sharpshooting Gallinari exercised his $6.8 million player option for next season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 35-year-old forward is expected to serve as a scoring option off the bench for Boston, especially beyond the arc.
Boston could have used Gallinari’s 3-point shot during the 2022-23 season, especially during the postseason when its offense started to stagnate.
But after signing a two-year, $13.3 million contract with the Celtics back on July 10, Gallinari’s season ended prematurely when he tore his ACL during a FIBA qualifying game in August.
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Even though Gallinari remained hopeful that he’d be able to return late in the 2022-23 season in order to help Boston, an accelerated recovery timeline was ultimately untenable.
After Boston’s season ended in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Gallinari released a statement on Twitter expressing hope for a clean slate in 2023-24.
“My 15th season in NBA is over,” Gallinari wrote. “I would have liked to play. I would have liked to have debuted in this jersey in front of these amazing fans. I would have liked to help my teammates. And I would have liked to have seen us until the end.
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“It will take a while to accept this defeat. We believed in it until the last minute and gave everything as a group. From tomorrow the head and legs will work to prepare for next season. Season number 16 in a league that always knows how to give me emotions that I will never get used to.”
It remains to be seen how Gallinari will fare next season, given both his age and the potential limitations that come with rehabbing from such an extensive injury.
But after turning down more money in free agency in order to sign with a contender like Boston, the Italian-born forward seems ready to see his tenure through with the Celtics.
During his last full season with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021-22, Gallinari averaged 11.7 points per game while sinking 38.1 percent of his shots from 3-point range.
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