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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Justin Quinn

The player the Celtics ought to move at the deadline is Danilo Gallinari, per Bleacher Report

The Boston Celtics may decide that their roster needs a little more punch off of the bench ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline arriving a week from today on Feb. 9, and if they want to land an impact player, there is a good chance they will need to send out a player making more than the minimum salary range in order to make it happen.

To get an idea of which players around the NBA could fill such a role in terms of being the player every team in the league has on their roster, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently put together an article highlighting the contract each team in the Association should move before the deadline passes.

The player he highlights for the Celtics? Veteran swingman Danilo Gallinari.

“Danilo Gallinari hasn’t given up hope of helping Boston this season, but the Shamrocks should dismiss that notion without a second thought,” writes Buckley.

“He is 34 years old and four-odd months removed from tearing his left ACL. Even if he crushes his rehab process, he’s unlikely to be cleared until the playoffs are well underway. Would the Celtics really trust him in a major moment when he’s yet to log a second for this franchise? Do they feel so starved for second-unit scoring that they’d be willing to overlook his defensive shortcomings, which could have exponentially grown after his injury?”

“The C’s, who need more reliable depth in the frontcourt, should package Gallo’s $6.5 million salary with a sweetener or two to find a capable contributor who doesn’t carry nearly as many question marks,” adds the B/r analyst.

Such a move would be cold-blooded for a club with a reputation for cold blood, which has real-world impacts beyond the present in terms of potential free agents both off the roster at present and on it.

But if the deal is the difference between a player who could push Boston over the edge and not, given it is titles or bust in the city the Celtics play in, it’s hard to argue against such a deal’

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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