Does Gallinari signing boost Boston’s NBA title hopes?

Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari has signed a two-year, $13.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics to help them in their pursuit of the NBA title. He is expected to be a bench piece, but his experience will be invaluable to this Celtics team. He was traded to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Dejounte Murray deal but didn’t fit the Spurs vision, so they released him.

Gallinari is a great three-point shooter who has been playing in the NBA since 2008. While he has moved around from team to team a lot, he is a valuable asset, and considering the contract, the Celtics made a great move. He will be another guy off the bench who can come in and get hot, which is exactly what the Celtics needed. The Celtics were two wins away from the NBA Championship, and in this offseason they have added Gallinari and Malcolm Brogdon. Both of these pieces project to bolster their bench and make them a more well rounded basketball team.

Last year for the Atlanta Hawks, Gallinari averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. However, the Hawks had a lot of young wings they wanted to test and Gallinari was on the bench more than usual. He is still a prolific shooter and can be an impact player on offense, even if he isn’t the best defensively. That’s exactly what the Celtics needed, as they had the best defense in the NBA last season.

Right now, the Celtics are outright favorites to win the NBA title next year at +550 with Bovada. While their new additions help and they should be one of the best teams, these odds are a little too short for our liking and there should be better times to bet on them throughout the long NBA season. At this point in the offseason, we are always going to recommend staying away from betting on the favorites and instead look for value in other teams.

That being said, the Celtics are set up for next season and should be back in the title race. They have made a bunch of smart moves to make their team better without breaking up the core that got them to the finals. Gallinari will bring a lot of experience, and while he won’t be a star, he will definitely be a pest for the Celtics’ opponents. Even if he doesn’t work out, it’s a cheap deal and they can easily cut ties with him. The Celtics are loading up for next season and it will be on the rest of the NBA to stop them.

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