We don’t blame you if you forgot that veteran forward Danilo Gallinari is a Boston Celtics player. Gallinari signed with the Celtics last summer but hasn’t played a single game for the franchise after tearing his ACL during international duty with Italy.
It appears that Gallinari will finally make his Celtics debut this upcoming season since the 34-year-old player just picked up his player option for 2023-24. The option comes with $6.8 million in base salary.
Gallinari’s agent Michael Tellem confirmed the news to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.
Reportedly, Gallinari is progressing well in his recovery from the ACL injury and should be ready to start the season. Despite the downtime, he is expected to have a role on the Celtics, who should benefit from his shooting.
Gallinari had his most recent NBA action with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2021–22 season. He played 66 games, averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while making a respectable 38.7% of his three-pointers.
The Celtics are Gallinari’s sixth NBA team. He started his career as the sixth overall pick by the New York Knicks in 2008 and later played with the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and previously-mentioned Hawks.
