Danilo Gallinari tears meniscus with Italy after signing 2-year, $13 million deal with Celtics
One of the Boston Celtics' reinforcements for the 2022-23 season may be out for some time.
Forward Danilo Gallinari, who signed a two-year, $13.3 million deal with the Celtics last month, went down with a non-contact knee injury while playing for Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
Gallinari was diagnosed with a torn meniscus on Sunday, though there was no reported ligament damage, Italy announced.
"It's tough to talk about basketball after what what we saw happen to Danilo," Italy captain Luigi Datome said after their win against Georgia, via ESPN. "We wish him, of course, the best."
The injury occurred when Gallinari pulled up while running into the paint on a fastbreak during the first quarter. The 34-year-old immediately hopped off the court while holding his left knee, exiting the game on the next break in play.
Danilo Gallinari injury#Gallinari #ITAGEO pic.twitter.com/7vjD6QfxDT
— Yannis Psarakis (@YPsar) August 27, 2022
Fortunately, initial exams showed Gallinari's ACL to still be intact, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, so that's at least one bullet dodged. Gallinari has sustained an ACL injury before, missing the 2013-14 season due to an injury to the ligament. With no ligament damage found in his knee, Gallinari's rehab timeline should be significantly shorter.
Gallinari landed with the Celtics this offseason after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Dejounte Murray trade, then getting waived by the rebuilding Spurs. He previously signed a three-year, $61.5 million contract with the Hawks in the 2020 offseason.
The Celtics likely added Gallinari for the reason most teams add Danilo Gallinari, to add a lengthy, veteran 3-point shooter to their forward rotation. Gallinari averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season for the Hawks while shooting 38.1 percent from deep on 4.5 attempts per game.
