The news for Danilo Gallinari and the Celtics has gone from bad to worse, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Gallinari underwent further evaluation on his injured left knee and has now been diagnosed with an ACL tear.
After Gallinari injured his knee playing for Italy in a World Cup qualifying game last week, reports indicated that the Italian national team’s medical staff determined the ACL was intact. The veteran forward was later diagnosed with a torn meniscus, but additional examinations have revealed a more serious injury.
It’s a brutal turn of events for Gallinari and the Celtics. A torn meniscus is a significant enough injury on its own, but there was a chance that the 34-year-old could return from that ailment in a matter of weeks, or at least at some point during the 2022/23 season. An ACL tear is likely to keep Gallinari on the shelf for the entire year.
A 13-year NBA veteran, Gallinari spent the last two seasons with the Hawks, averaging 12.4 PPG and 4.4 RPG on .434/.392/.915 shooting in 117 games (24.7 MPG) during that time. He was traded to San Antonio this summer in the Dejounte Murray blockbuster, then was waived by the Spurs before his salary for 2022/23 became fully guaranteed.
Once he reached free agency, Gallinari signed a two-year, $13.3MM deal with the Celtics, who used their full taxpayer mid-level exception to bring him aboard. He was expected to provide some scoring punch in Boston’s frontcourt, but now seems unlikely to contribute until 2023/24.
The second year on Gallinari’s deal is a player option — it looks like a safe bet he’ll end up exercising it, since he’s unlikely to do well on the free agent market next summer as a 35-year-old coming off a torn ACL. He tore the same ACL in 2013 as a member of the Nuggets.
With Gallinari likely to miss all of ’22/23, the Celtics will have the ability to apply for a disabled player exception, which would be worth 50% of his salary (about $3.2MM), notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
A disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade, as long as the team has an available roster spot to accommodate the addition. The exception can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.
His second one, ugh, get well soon….
Yep. Not sure how much more Gallo’s gonna have in the tank after this
Injuries made outside of the nba should be able to cancel contracts. Ridiculous to pay someone getting hurt playing for someone else.. or some of these guys getting hurt on motorcycles and other things outside of basketball
I don’t think you’ll ever see a complete voiding, but salary cap amnesty for the contract may be a more likely scenario.
You’d run a great franchise lol
Ahh, there’s the good old American slave owner mentality again… Slave got hurt wandering off my plantation, hence I’ll cease my obligation to feed him.
Injuries to athletes in international contests happen all the time in every sport. There’d be no international tournaments, e.g. the FIFA World Cup, if players would risk their entire existence playing for their respective countries.
American rubes will have to learn to cope with the fact that the rest of the world isn’t one of their plantations and that wage continuation in case of sickness or injury is actually a thing among the civilized.
6.5 mill to do nothing is now compared to slavery?.. interesting
Isn’t that insane? I almost had to re read the guys comments above you. Comparing 6.5 million to slavery. We’re really screwed as a society. I’m sure he’ll find other ways to make 25 mill in 2022/2023 modeling for Italian fashion on top of the $500 M he’s made, that $25K pension, top notch health care in good ole ‘Merica, ala cart everywhere he goes because of who he is, etc. sick stuff dude.
That’s the most insane thing I e heard anyone say today. lol. Comparing guys comment to slavery. I mean, I guess you can say McDonald’s workers are slaves then on their $8 per our wage.
Nice race bait. Just go home little man
What does that comment mean exactly?
You have to be learned in Roman Money ways to understand. It’s a slave system with no direct master or chains visible.
For every dollar said slave makes, they can make 3.5 back whether the slave is functional or not.
Bravo my man. Bravo.
Gallo had the team’s permission to play, but you probably already knew that.
Early retirement. He’s done.
Gallinari is done! Now Cleveland is nipping at their heels!
An absolutely horrific offseason for Brad Stevens now. Gallinari is now done. Your other “major” offseason move is Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon’ s knee’s are made out of glass. He is gonna go down folks! Deep playoff run?? Brogdon??? On Those Knee’s????
Yeah Gallinari hurts but they made it to the finals with a hobbled Robert Williams. Brogdon doesn’t have to give them 30+ minutes a game, They’ve still got Smart, Brown and White
And Tatum had a broken wrist.
I mean we literally just made a deep playoff run without either one of those guys but ok…. lol
Deep playoff run that would NOT have happened if Milwaukee would have had a healthy Kris Middleton … It would have ended in Round 1 if Brooklyn had been healthy.
Celtics have done nothing to improve!!! Robert Williams??? He was hurt last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and he will be hurt this year too.
Al Horford a year older. Cleveland now has a better team IMO.
But OK …. Keep living off last year.
Brogdon is a stud addition. Cleveland has to win a playoff series first.
How have the Celtics done nothing to improve when they acquired Brogdan? Literally every one of your arguments is hypothetical lol. Assuming Brogdan will be hurt, assuming Horford will slow down, assuming Rob will be hurt. Look at the facts, little bro. Celtics just made the finals and now they have a better roster.
You can look at his left knee in the accompanying picture and tell he was susceptible to an ACL tear.
Look at how slim his knee is as it goes around the patella….
Actually, you can’t tell he’s susceptible to any injury – I’m just being facetious and simply trying to sound as smart as everyone else on here ;)
Enjoy Ohio State/Notre Dame!
The initial video of the injury showed a “snap” to the outside of the knee area similar to the video of the back of Kevin Durant’s leg when he tore his achilles.
It was very surprising that they said it was a torn meniscus. This diagnosis, unfortunately, makes much more sense.
Then
Nets and Bucks can beat Celtics in playoffs
He wasn’t expected to be a starter. The Celtics will miss him, but it’s not really a show stopper.
They could have even with him being healthy.
Sorry to hear the bad news. I expect the Celtics will sign a replacement quickly.
Good player but injuries have been the story of his career. He just can’t hold up for full seasons. Gallo should retire now so his quality of life isn’t that bad going forward. He’s made alot of money and still has 30 mill coming
sad to hear his career is about over but at his age your knee takes a long time to heal.
That’s tough!
Makes Melo maybe a little more likley
Boston got screwed
Celts should have used that 17.2 million trade exception while they had the chance.
Brogdon was I a round about way. Usually with a Trade exemption you get only bad players offer when salary goes one way.