The Atlanta Hawks traded Danilo Gallinari to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Dejounte Murray trade. This trade improved the Hawks but it also means that they may have dodged a bullet due to the injury that Gallinari suffered while playing for Italy in the World Cup qualifiers.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been lucky enough to cover the Italian star since his time with the OKC Thunder. He came over via trade with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Paul George trade and helped give the Thunder faithful a feelgood year after their superstar Russell Westbrook was also traded at his request.
Still, the fact that Gallinari is going to miss time next season would have been problematic for the Hawks. To put it simply, he was the most important player for the Hawks’ second unit last season, and his offense kept the team afloat during several games last season.
Ex-Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari may have some light at the end of the tunnel.
When Gallinari was first injured, the worst was feared. He had finally managed to fulfill his dream of signing with the Boston Celtics after he was waived by the Spurs. This was all put in jeopardy by his injury playing for his national squad.
However, if you see Shams’ tweet below, you will note that things may not be as bad as first thought. He has a meniscus tear in his left knee but there is no damage to the ACL.
Danilo Gallinari has suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, the Italian national team announces. No ACL or ligament damage, the team says, which is best case for the Celtics forward following the non-contact injury on Saturday. https://t.co/NG8mS7O6pB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 28, 2022
Still, Hawks fans know what it is like to have a player impacted by a meniscus tear. De’Andre Hunter missed most of his second season due to the issue. He managed to come back for the playoffs against the New York Knicks but missed the rest of the playoff run.
James Wiseman of the Golden State Warriors missed the whole of last season whereas current Celtics center Robert Williams returned after a month. Hopefully, for Gallinari, he can heal up quickly and not miss much, if any, of the 2022-23 season.