Boston Celtics: Is Danilo Gallinari a realistic free agent target for Cs?

Though the Boston Celtics may be strapped for cash this offseason, THIS top-billed free agent may be able to be lured in on the concept of winning.

In recent years, the Boston Celtics have found themselves as active participants on the free agency market, nabbing the likes of top-billed talents such as Al Horford in 2016, Gordon Hayward in 2017, and, most recently, Kemba Walker in 2019.

Because of their high spending over the past several years, however, the team comes into the 2020 offseason with little wiggle room to shell out extra cash to some of this year’s most buzzed-about open market talents such as DeMar DeRozan, Fred VanVleet, and Brandon Ingram.

However, there are some players eligible for a new home who are more than willing to sacrifice a few extra bucks in order to better position themselves for a run at the Larry O’Brien trophy instead. Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari is a recent talent to claim as such in a recent interview.

Upon talking about his NBA future during the “Festival dello Sport” in Italy, Gallinari claimed that winning was going to be prioritized the most throughout his free agency prosses:

"“Is playing for the NBA Championship more important than a contract? Yes. At this time, yes. I’m not twenty anymore.”"

During his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 32-year-old put up a very productive stat line of 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 40.5 percent shooting from deep. Though not a defensive booster, Gallinari would add offensive versatility and suitable size (6-10, 225-pounds) to any rotation willing to bring him on… including the Boston Celtics.

Whether they have him coming off the bench to help bolster their 29th points per game (28.5), 28th 3-point efficiency, and 20th offensive rating (53.6) rankings or inserted into the starting lineup in favor of Gordon Hayward — whether he himself is relegated to a sixth-man role or simply traded away from the team –, the idea of pursuing the likes of Danilo Gallinari this offseason should be something that is strongly considered by the C’s front office, especially being that he’s admitted that he sees winning a ring as the most important goal when deciding his next destination.