The Boston Celtics bade farewell to another key player on Monday, as backup big man Luke Kornet reportedly decided to change franchises soon after free agency opened up. Kornet has agreed to a four-year, $41 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
After going undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2017, Kornet embarked on a basketball odyssey that took him up and down the Eastern seaboard, and back and forth across the Midwest. He spent time with the New York Knicks, Westchester Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Maine Celtics Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Celtics again.
Over the last eight years, Kornet made a combined $11,478,206 as he fought to earn his keep. His new deal with the Spurs will pay him $10.25 million per year.
Kornet finally found a home with the Celtics over the last few years and had grown into a fan favorite — as much for his off-court antics and goofy celebrations as his actual play. That’s not to say he was a meme player, though. Kornet became an excellent backup big man who set strong screens, made good decisions and finished extremely well around the basket.
Last season, Kornet averaged six points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one block in 18.6 minutes per game, while shooting 66.8% from the field. In Game 5 of the Celtics’ second-round series against the New York Knicks, he put up 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks on a perfect 5 of 5 from the field in the finest outing of his career to keep their season alive — albeit for just one more game.
Ahead of free agency, the Celtics made it clear that they hoped to retain Kornet (and Al Horford, who remains unsigned).
“As you look at the rest of the team and what we’re trying to do, there is no question our priorities would be to bring Al and Luke back,” Celtics president Brad Stevens told reporters during his press conference after the 2025 NBA Draft. “Those guys are huge parts of this organization.”
Why Celtics are trading away key players: Money not the only reason for Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis deals
Jack Maloney
The Celtics’ financial situation has them handcuffed, however. They’ve already worked hard to shed salary this summer by trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to sneak under the dreaded second apron of the luxury tax by a few million dollars.
In order to match the offer the Spurs gave Kornet, the Celtics would have had to trade Anfernee Simons (acquired in the Holiday deal) or Sam Hauser. And even then, Kornet may have prioritized a team that’s on the rise, rather than sticking around for an uncertain future in Boston.
The Celtics’ dilemma was the Spurs’ gain.
Last season did not go to plan in San Antonio. Longtime coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke early in the season and never returned to the sideline. He has since stepped down as coach — he will transition into a full-time front office role — and been replaced by Mitch Johnson. In February, Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shoulder and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The Spurs finished 34-48, and missed the playoff for a sixth consecutive season.
The benefit of another losing campaign was that the Spurs got the No. 2 overall pick in the lottery and selected Dylan Harper out of Rutgers in the 2025 NBA Draft. He’ll join De’Aaron Fox, a major midseason trade acquisition earlier this year, in the Spurs’ backcourt.
As San Antonio regroups for 2026, it will hope to finally make some noise in the Western Conference. Kornet’s arrival won’t be a major storyline when everyone previews their season in the fall, but this is some strong work by Popovich and rest of the front office in San Antonio. Kornet will help solidify the frontcourt behind Wembanyama and will be a major addition to their locker room.
