The Boston Celtics are kicking off their 4th of July weekend with absolute fireworks, as they managed to add perhaps the most perfect player for their rotation on the first full day of free agency.
Per reports, recently waived forward, Danilo Gallinari, is expected to sign a two-year deal with the C’s via the taxpayer mid-level exception worth $6.5 million.
Make no mistake about it folks, this signing has the potential to be absolutely incredible for Ime Udoka’s championship-aspiring rotation.
If we learned anything from the 2022 NBA Finals, it’s that the Boston Celtics need at least one more player within their arsenal who can go out and generate efficient offense without the help of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Even after their Game 6 defeat to Golden State, President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, publicly stated that the team needs to look into adding more ‘consistent scoring’ talents to their rotation this summer, as it was far too often where we saw the team grow stagnant in the offensive department when Tatum was triple-teamed, Brown was out of synch or vice versa.
Gallinari is the type of player who can do wonders in this department.
Throughout his 14-year tenure in the association, the forward has made a name for himself as being a tremendous role player and an effective offensive talent.
Just three years removed from averaging north of 18 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc, this past season, despite seeing the second-lowest attempts per game averages of his career, we saw Gallo still posting impressive averages of 17 points per 75 possessions on 38 percent shooting from beyond the arc while also showcasing his crafty inside-out game that’s been his bread and butter since being drafted sixth overall back in 2008.
Though he holds career averages of 15.8 points on 38 percent shooting from deep, outside of his scoring prowess, the 33-year-old checks off several boxes that the Boston Celtics have been searching for over the past several years.
From bolstering their wing depth, improving their second-unit rotation, and giving the team more lineup flexibility (at 6-10, 225-pounds he can be slotted into the four and create a truly lethal all-around offensive unit alongside the Jays at the two & three and Al Horford at the five), the addition of Danilo Gallinari is far more than just Boston adding a trusty tertiary scoring option.
On day one of free agency, Brad Stevens landed the perfect player for this rotation.