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It appears Danilo Gallinari may not make his debut for the Boston Celtics for a while. After Shams Charania reported on August 28 that Gallinari had suffered a torn meniscus during the 2022 EuroBasket Tournament, he then provided an update on September 2, saying that, upon further evaluation, Gallinari had torn his ACL.
With Gallinari presumably out for the season, the Celtics may be on the lookout for a replacement. After Gallinari’s ACL tear was confirmed, one name has come up among Celtics fans: Carmelo Anthony.
This is also fueled by a report from Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports that said the Celtics had considered Anthony a “potential signee” after Gallinari’s injury, which at the time was thought to be a torn meniscus, on August 30.
Before Gallinari’s knee injury was confirmed to be an ACL tear, the concern with adding Anthony would be that having two players who play the same position on the roster would make Anthony redundant, but with Gallinari confirmed to be out indefinitely, that would no longer be an issue if Anthony was brought onboard.
Last season, Anthony averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 44.1 percent shooting from the field was the most efficient Anthony has shot as a player since the 2014-15 season.
Anthony has remained unsigned throughout the entire offseason, though Robinson mentioned above that the New York Knicks were interested in a reunion.
Gallinari Shares His Thoughts on His Injury
After Charania had confirmed that Gallinari had re-torn his left ACL, the 34-year-old took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the matter. While he expressed his disappointment in not being able to play, he vowed to do everything in his power to return to the court as soon as he could.
After Charania confirmed that Gallinari had torn his ACL, he followed that up by giving a timeline for Gallinari’s recovery.
Best-case scenario, Gallinari could return sometime around the all-star break in 2023. Worst-case scenario, he won’t play at all for the Celtics during the 2022-23 season, both regular season and playoffs. There will likely be more updates as the season goes on. Keep in mind that Gallinari re-injured the same knee he did late in the 2012-13 season, which held him out of the next season as well.
Where the Celtics Go From Here
Besides potentially signing Carmelo Anthony as Gallinari’s replacement, the Celtics have options at their disposal, such as utilizing both the $6.9 million Juancho Hernangomez trade exception and the $5.9 million Dennis Schroder trade exception. The team also has three roster spots left to fill.
Bobby Marks of ESPN illustrated that the Celtics could apply for the Disabled Player Exception, how much they would get with that exception if it was granted to them, and how they would be able to use it.
The Celtics were granted that very exception in 2017 after Gordon Hayward suffered his horrific leg injury on opening night. The Celtics would later use that exception on Greg Monroe after Monroe had been waived by the Phoenix Suns, signing him for $5 million.
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