BOSTON — New Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, the team announced Friday, which will likely cause him to miss most of the 2022-23 season and possibly all of it.
The 34-year-old Gallinari injured his left knee while playing for the Italian national team last Saturday during a FIBA World Cup qualifying game against Georgia. The forward had to be helped off the floor after suffering a non-contact injury while landing awkwardly. There was some relief when the Italian national team initially ruled the injury a meniscus tear, but further testing revealed a torn ACL.
Gallinari suffered a torn ACL in the same left knee in April 2013, which forced him to miss the entire 2013-14 season with the Denver Nuggets. The typical recovery timeline for a torn ACL is six to 12 months, but Gallinari is reportedly determined to try to return at some point late in this season.
“This has been a tough week for me as I have learned the extent of my injury,” Gallinari wrote in a social media post on Friday. “This game means everything to me and not being able to be on the court with my Celtics teammates hurts. I plan to give everything I can to the Celtics organization and my teammates as we hunt for a title.”
Gallinari signed a two-year, $13.2 million contract — with a player option for the second season — as a free agent in July as the Celtics looked to fortify their bench with some offensive punch. Gallinari averaged 11.7 points per game and shot 38.1 percent from behind the 3-point line in 66 games for the Hawks last season.
Without Gallinari for at least most of the season, the Celtics should be looking to add frontcourt depth to replace him, and in a somewhat urgent manner with training camp weeks away and the season opener coming next month. The Celtics will reportedly have the option to apply for a designated player exception to replace Gallinari.
The 38-year-old Carmelo Anthony remains a free agent and could offer similar offensive production off the bench after he scored 13.3 points per game and shot 37.5% from distance in 69 games for the Lakers last season. But according to a league source, the Celtics aren’t in a hurry to make a deal or sign Anthony, and they’re interested in taking a look at all of their internal depth options, including Mfiondu Kabengele and Luke Kornet.
