Boston Celtics: Trading for Danilo Gallinari makes no sense — here’s why

It would cost one of Boston’s core players

Currently, Danilo Gallinari is on a contract that is paying him $22 million for the 2019-20 season. In order for the Boston Celtics to make the numbers work for a deal for Gallo to go down, they would have to go one of two routes:

1. Include Gordon Hayward and his $32 million 2019-20 salary
2. Include a package with Marcus Smart ($12 million) as the main draw, and a few other role players to make the numbers work.

As you can see, no matter what path they choose to take in this scenario, Boston would have to give up one of their core players, which is not something they have much interest in doing.

Smart is under contract through the 2021-22 season with an average yearly salary of around $13 million. For an NBA All-Defensive First Team/ legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate, this truly a great bargain for the shamrocks. Plus, at just 25-years-old, he still has better days ahead of him.

As for Hayward, while there have been some in the media — including us, if we’re being honest — who believe the C’s should look into swapping the 10-year veteran via trade to address other areas of weakness on the roster, a move like this doesn’t really benefit them a whole lot… or perhaps, at all.

Hayward has been fantastic this season, averaging 16.3 points, six boards and 4.1 assists per game on 52% shooting from the field and 36% shooting from deep. Sure, Gallinari is averaging two more points and a better 3-point percentage by around 3%, but the chemistry of this Celtics team with Hayward in the lineup has been fantastic, and should not be messed with.

Sure, the Celtics are on a three game skid, but even with this the team has given us little reason to panic moving forward.

Trading either Smart or Gordon Hayward for a player who’s really not an upgrade at any position he’d takeover? Now that would be a panic move, and one the C’s need not take.