The Boston Celtics acquired two players on Friday as NBA free agency starts to heat up. Boston signed free agent power forward Danilo Gallinari, and then later in the day sent three players and a draft pick to Indiana to get guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Gallinari will ink a two year, 13 million dollar deal with the Celtics after being sent to San Antonio in a trade with Atlanta earlier this week. The Spurs quickly looked at the buyout option on the 15 year veteran. He will have a second year player option in Boston. Gallinari will provide the C’s with a veteran shooter who can play several positions. He has connected at 38.1% from three-point range during his career and averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds with the Hawks last season. Injuries plagued Gallinari early in his career, but he has been relatively healthy over the past four seasons, playing 68, 62, 51 and 66 games.
Brogdon was sent over via a trade with the Indiana Pacers. Indiana will receive Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and a 2023 first round pick from Boston. Brogdon’s fate with Indiana was essentially sealed when the Pacers acquired point guard Tyrese Haliburton from Sacramento in a flurry of moves at the midseason trade deadline. It was clear the franchise would rebuild the team with Haliburton as the foundational piece. Many expected Brogdon would be dealt on draft night, but the Celtics finally provided the offer Indiana was seeking on the second day of free agency. In Brogdon, Boston is getting a six year pro who is a proven leader and averaged 19.1 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds last season. And he should fit right in with a backcourt that already features Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, who played a key role in Boston’s run to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. The Celtics lost to Golden State in six games.
