As the Boston Celtics enter an offseason of much uncertainty, word on the street is that they’re eyeballing Danilo Gallinari as a potential destination if they lose Gordon Hayward.
Gallinari is an unrestricted free agent following an impressive season down in Oklahoma City. The twelve-year NBA veteran has been paid a lot of money in recent years, and there’s no reason why he won’t command a large sum this offseason.
Gallinari is not going to create like Gordon Hayward but he can provide plenty of other stuff, and can definitely move the ball well enough. His 3-point shot is a tremendous weapon to have in your lineup, as he shot 40.5 percent on 7.1 attempts per game during the regular season in 2020-21, he can also score in the post so the only thing the Celtics would be losing with him replacing Hayward would be the playmaking ability.
Rumors of Hayward’s apparent unhappiness in Boston have spread like wildfire in recent weeks, increasing the possibility of the idea that he might opt-out of his $34 million player deal to spread his wings on another team.
Gallinari could be one of the players they use to fill the void in the event of a Hayward departure. The swingman is two years older than Hayward and has a similarly injury-riddled past, but he’d be a decent replacement on the offensive end. Last season, Galo averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 43.8% shooting.
Alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, he could really excel and help the Celtics move yet another rung up the Eastern Conference hierarchy.
