According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, the Boston Celtics have reportedly shown “some level of interest” in Danilo Gallinari, whom the Detroit Pistons waived after the trade deadline. The Los Angeles Lakers were also mentioned in the same vein.
Boston signed Gallinari in the 2022 offseason, but he tore his ACL while playing for the Italian national team. He missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season and was included in the trade package for Kristaps Porzingis this past summer.
When Gallinari signed with the Celtics, he was pumped. He shared stories of his childhood fandom, calling the choice to join Boston “a no-brainer.”
“When you think about the Celtics — I grew up, with my dad, ever since I was a little kid, I was a Celtics fan and a Larry Bird fan,” Gallinari said at his introductory press conference last July. “So, when the Celtics came on the table, it was almost a no-brainer.”
And after being traded, Gallinari still had positive things to say about his time with the Celtics.
“From Joe [Mazzulla] to all the trainers and the people that worked with me rehabbing, which is a tough process, long process,” Gallinari told Jay King of The Athletic in November. “All the relationships I was able to create were great, even if I was there just for one season. I still talk to those guys, and I’m glad we were able to build something outside of basketball, bigger than basketball.”
The 35-year-old is at the tail end of his career, but his role in Boston would likely be nothing more than a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency wing. Following Gallinari’s move to Detroit ahead of this year’s deadline, he showed off some of the shooting skills he has left in the tank.
At the very least, a Gallinari reunion would make for a feel-good story leading into Boston’s attempt at a title run.
