Danilo Gallinari reportedly set to sign two-year deal with Celtics after clearing waivers
BOSTON -- Danilo Gallinari has to clear waivers before becoming a free agent. But when he does hit free agency, he won't be available for long.
The veteran sharpshooter is reportedly set to sign with the Boston Celtics. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Friday that Gallinari's preference is to sign in Boston, with Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe adding that Gallinari's plan is to sign with Boston once he clears waivers.
Can confirm that Danilo Gallinari plans to sign with the Celtics after clearing waivers, as @wojespn said.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) July 1, 2022
Gallinari is reportedly signing a two-year deal with the Celtics for $13 million, which will take up Boston's mid-level exception this offseason. The second year is a player option, according to Davide Chinellato of the La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy.
🇺🇸 Danilo Gallinari is headed to Boston on a 2yr, $13M. Year 2 is a player option, per sources
— Davide Chinellato (@dchinellato) July 1, 2022
🇮🇹 Danilo Gallinari ha scelto Boston: biennale da $13M con opzione del giocatore sul secondo anno. Tra poco i dettagli su @Gazzetta_it
The 6-foot-10 forward will fill Boston's need for a scorer off the bench. Gallinari can light up the scoreboard in a hurry, knocking down 38.2 percent of his three-point attempts over his 13-year career in the NBA.
Boston is well aware of Gallinari's shooting abilities. He drained 10 threes against the Celtics in February 2021 as a member of the Hawks. Gallinari has played his last two seasons in Atlanta, averaging 12.4 points per game off .434/.392/.915 shooting splits over 117 games.
He'll bring plenty of bench scoring and some floor spacing to Boston, and potentially some rebounding, but don't expect much else. Gallinari, who will turn 34 in August, has never been a good defender, and has been getting worse over the years. Teams will be targeting him every chance they get when he's on the floor.
But the Celtics have enough defense elsewhere to hide him at times, and Gallinari should provide a much-needed scoring boost off the bench for Boston.