Getty Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
On January 6, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum ensured he gave fans plenty to talk about as he Tweeted at former teammate Kemba Walker, dropping an eyes emoji followed by two clover leaves.
Tatum’s tweet was in response to a report by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who was sharing details on Kemba Walker’s release from the Dallas Mavericks.
Celtics Waive Noah Vonleh
On January 5, the Celtics made their first trade of 2023, sending veteran center Noah Vonleh and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs, thus creating an open roster spot as we head toward the February 9 trade deadline.
The Celtics are trading Noah Vonleh and cash to the Spurs, sources tell ESPN. The Spurs are waiving Gorgui Dieng to create the roster spot.
Vonleh, 27, participated in 23 games for the Celtics, averaging 1.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Spurs will also be waiving Vonleh, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and he will now become an unrestricted free agent as a result.
With Vonleh no longer on their roster, the Celtics do have the roster space to acquire Walker should Brad Stevens believe he can provide the team with something they’re currently missing. However, it should be noted that Boston currently has a logjam at the guard positions – a battle Payton Pritchard is currently fighting. With that in mind, it’s logical to believe that Pritchard would need to be moved before Boston cast their eyes toward Walker in free agency.
Danilo Gallinari Continues His Rehab
On January 4, Danilo Gallinari released a video update on his recovery from an ACL injury that has kept him out of the Celtics rotation all season. In the 12-second video, Gallinari can be seen running on the court for the first time since he suffered his injury while playing for the Italian national team at the FIBA EuroBasket competition last summer.
Gallinari was acquired by the Celtics in the off-season as Stevens looked to add some size and perimeter shooting to his bench rotation – areas that were clearly needed during Boston’s ill-fated six-game series against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
With Gallinari’s rehab clearly going well, Celtics fans will now be hoping he can make a return at some point this season and help his team make a deep playoff push. However, given his age, it may be better for Gallinari to sit this year out, work on his fitness and conditioning, and come back at full strength next season.
Either way, Boston will be happy to see one of their bigger additions of recent memory making solid progress on his recovery and will be looking forward to incorporating him into their plans sooner rather than later.