Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari is joining the Boston Celtics on a two-year, $13.3 million deal days after he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs, his agent told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday.
Gallinari, who turns 34 next month, spent the last two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before he was traded to the Spurs at the end of June in a deal that sent All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to Atlanta. Gallinari was waived after the trade, as was expected due to his contract.
Danilo Gallinari has been waived by the Spurs, sources tell ESPN. Friday was the last day for Gallinari to be waived before his $21.5M contract would have become guaranteed. His guaranteed amount was amended from $5M to $13M as part of the trade to San Antonio.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 8, 2022
Boston was the expected landing spot for Gallinari, but the team had to wait for the forward to clear waivers before signing him to a new contract.
Gallinari was a top-10 draft pick in 2008 and spent the beginning of his NBA career with the New York Knicks before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in a three-team blockbuster trade involving Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. He spent several seasons in Denver and was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017. Two years later, Gallinari was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and then, a season later, to the Hawks.
Gallinari averaged 11.7 points per game for the Hawks last season, his lowest since his rookie season.
The Celtics reached the 2022 NBA Finals but lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
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