Spurs Waiving Danilo Gallinari, Plans to Sign With Celtics

The Spurs are waiving Danilo Gallinari after acquiring him in the Dejounte Murray.

The San Antonio Spurs acquired Danilo Gallinari as the lone player from the Atlanta Hawks in part of the trade headlined by Dejounte Murray. 

There is an expectation that Gallinari will be waived by the Spurs and will then sign with the Boston Celtics once he becomes a free agency. 

Once the San Antonio Spurs finalize the expected release on forward Danilo Gallinari, his preference is to join the Boston Celtics upon clearing waivers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

With the Spurs set to prioritize maximizing their draft positioning ahead of what many consider as being a loaded class, it makes sense to waive Gallinari. San Antonio will open up cap space by parting ways. 

At the four spot, the Spurs will have significant room to prioritize the development of Jeremy Sochan next season. Unless Doug McDermott were to be traded, they could continue to utilize him as the backup four. 

There was plenty of speculation entering free agency regarding what the Celtics could do to improve a roster that came so close to winning an NBA title. Adding a stretch-four was considered a priority and Gallinari was linked as a potential option.

The Celtics have been busy seeking ways to improve their roster. They agreed to a trade with the Indiana Pacers to acquire Malcolm Brogdon in exchange for salary fillers and a 2023 first-round pick. 

There are some options for the Spurs to continue the process of parting with veteran players to further solidify their rebuilding effort. Names like McDermott, Josh Richardson, and Jakob Poeltl could potentially be of interest as trade targets. 

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