Gallinari reveals why he picked Celtics over other teams in free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics are one of the NBA's best teams, and among the benefits to being on that level is that veteran free agents are often willing to join your roster even when more money might be available to them elsewhere.
Danilo Gallinari probably could have signed a more lucrative contract than the two-year, $13.3 million deal he signed with the Celtics in free agency. But the opportunity to play for such a historic franchise and potentially win a championship made his decision a pretty easy one.
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"When you think about the Celtics -- I grew up, with my dad, ever since I was a little kid I was a Celtics fan and a Larry Bird fan. So when the Celtics came on the table, it was almost a no-brainer," Gallinari explained.
"You walk in this facility and look around, you see what's going on around with the banners and the history and everything that the Celtics are about. It was an easy choice."
Gallinari also is very excited to play at TD Garden on a nightly basis.
"I think about it. I have dreams about it," Gallinari said. "I'm glad that now it's a reality, and I can't wait to start a season and experience that finally as a Celtics player and not playing against the Celtics. It's an amazing atmosphere. Everybody knows that, so I'm really looking forward to it."
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The Celtics were two wins short of beating the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. One of the biggest issues for the Celtics was a lack of secondary scoring outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The bench did not produce offensively on a consistent enough basis.
Gallinari should address that weakness with his excellent 3-point and free throw shooting. The veteran forward shot 38.6 percent from 3-point range and 90.2 percent from the foul line for the Atlanta Hawks last season. He's averaged 15.6 points per game in his 13-year career.
The additions of Gallinari and Malcolm Brogdon make the Celtics a deeper and more versatile team offensively. They will be tough to beat in the 2023 NBA playoffs as long as there are no major injuries on the roster.
