Celtics Granted Disabled Player Exception for Danilo Gallinari

Gallinari is with the Celtics, rehabbing in Boston. As a high-IQ player, he can help the team without suiting up.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

While it seemed more like a formality than an outcome that hung in the balance, the Celtics have now officially been granted a disabled player exception for the loss of Danilo Gallinari, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The DPE is worth half his salary, carrying a value of $3.23 million. Gallinari signed with Boston for the taxpayer mid-level exception, inking a two-year deal worth $6.5 million this season and containing a player option valued at $6.8 million for the 2023-24 campaign.

Gallinari spoke with the media a week before the regular season started, doing so for the first time since his surgery. He said of his rehab, he's "taking it day by day."

Gallinari, who also went through this process after tearing his ACL in 2013, added, "that's the best way to approach a rehab and (to) approach an injury like this is to take it day by day and not really think about what's going to happen in the future."

While it's unlikely Gallinari suits up for the Celtics this season, his focus is on attacking his recovery process and winning each day.

"The good thing is that the small improvements that you see every day, those are the things that make you happy and make you keep going and keep trying to get better every day," conveyed Gallinari.

"Like when you’re doing exercise, you can do more reps the next day, or you can do reps better the next day. The PTs add a couple of exercises every day, so that’s a great thing that’s happened every single day. So, small things are big things in the rehab process."

The 13-year veteran, who remained an impactful player after his 2013 ACL surgery, one who helped the Hawks get to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, believes the daily victories he's accumulating during his rehab process will translate to him again returning as a difference-maker on the court.

"I’m still here, and I’m going to come back; even if I’m not that young anymore, I’m going to come back stronger and better again."

Further Reading

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