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Boston Has to Handle Malcolm Brogdon ‘With Kid Gloves,’ Exec Says

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Getty Malcolm Brogdon #7 of the Indiana Pacers.

Many view the Boston Celtics‘ acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon as a steal on Boston’s part because of both how productive Brogdon has been in the past and the fact that Boston did not trade anyone who was consistently in their 2022 playoff rotation to get him. However, the reason why Brogdon was acquired for that little was because of his injury history. That’s why an Eastern Conference executive says that the Celtics will have to be careful with how they use Brogdon.

“The problem they have with Brogdon is they are going to want to handle him with kid gloves throughout the year so he is ready for the playoffs, and he can be a good force for them there,” the executive said.
The executive later added that Head Coach Ime Udoka will have to mix and match his new rotation throughout next season with Brogdon so that the team is playing its best basketball when it matters most.
“One thing we saw last year was that Ime only has so much patience with his rotations. He coached to win all through the season last year, and he is going to need to step back and think about developing the team so that it is at its peak in May. That means using Brogdon a certain way, using Derrick White and (Payton) Pritchard a certain way. You can’t play them full-out in December.”
Lastly, the executive said that Boston knew what they signed up for when they acquired Brogdon, so they know they’ve got their work cut out for them.

“The Celtics knew they were getting damaged goods with Brogdon. They would not get him if he had two healthy knees. But it is going to be up to the coach to manage that.”

Brogdon and Gallinari Could Be Introduced Next Week

Because the Celtics themselves have yet to officially announce that they have traded for Brogdon or that they’ve signed Danilo Gallinari, those moves technically have not been finalized. Brian Robb of MassLive explained why neither move has been completed yet.

“The Celtics haven’t made any of their offseason moves official yet, and that’s likely to change this weekend once the Malcolm Brogdon trade can be completed. Gallinari will also need to go through a physical as well with team doctors, so the guess is the team wants that done before they announce anything. I’d expect him to be introduced along with Brogdon at a press conference next week once this all gets done.”

Since being traded to Boston, Brogdon has publicly acknowledged his new team via Twitter.

Gallinari, who chose the Celtics over other interested suitors like the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, has only said goodbye to the Hawks after they traded him to the San Antonio Spurs.

Spurs Waive Gallinari

The Spurs waived Gallinari on July 8, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, meaning that, once he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with the Celtics. July 8 was the last day Gallinari could have been waived without having his contract be fully guaranteed at $21 million. As part of the trade to San Antonio, Gallinari’s partial guarantee on the last year of his contract was bumped from $5 million to $13 million.

The Celtics plan to sign Danilo Gallinari to the taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be a two-year deal worth $13 million, or $6.5 million a year. Add all of that up, and Gallinari will be paid $19.5 million during the 2022-23 season.

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An eastern conference executive says the Celtics will have to handle Brogdon as carefully as possible so that he'll be ready for when they need him most.