Pair of Western Conference playoff hopefuls reportedly interested in Celtics C Luke Kornet
Brad Stevens has said keeping Luke Kornet is among the Celtics' top priorities in free agency.
Luke Kornet had a career year in 2024-25. As a result, he’s set to draw some interest around the league when he becomes a free agent on Monday.
The Clippers and Spurs are among the teams who are expected to have some interest in Kornet, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported.
While the Celtics hold Kornet’s bird rights and could theoretically match any offer the Clippers or Spurs make for the center, Los Angeles and San Antonio could make it tough for Boston to retain him. Both teams have access to the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception ($14.1 million). If they were to offer Kornet that, the Celtics would have to go back into the second luxury tax apron in order to match that offer. As of Sunday, the Celtics are roughly $4 million shy of the second luxury tax apron.
On its surface, a $14.1 million offer for a player who has largely been a backup center in his career might seem rich. But, some executives around the league believe that Kornet might fetch a salary that pays him eight figures per year, according to Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett.
“Kornet’s clearly in for a payday,” an NBA front office member told Bulpett. “Steven Adams got three years at $13 million per, and [Mavericks center Daniel] Gafford got $60 million over three years. The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is around [$14] million; I’ll be surprised if Kornet doesn’t come in close to that.
“He scouts well. He’s still definitely a backup, but the question is what he’ll do when he gets more minutes than he did with the Celtics. He was playing for the minimum, and he’s going to do MUCH better than that. I think he’s looking at $10 million per.”
Kornet emerged as a key role player for the Celtics over the last two seasons after rejoining the team in the middle of the 2021-22 season. He averaged six points, 5.3 rebounds, and a block in 18.6 minutes per game in 2024-25, starting in 16 of the 73 games he played.
Kornet’s impact was felt beyond his per-game stats, though. His 14.9 net rating was the fourth-best mark in the league last season (min. 50 games played), and he extended the Celtics’ season by a game with his seven-block performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks.
Following the Celtics’ 2023-24 championship season, Kornet opted to remain in Boston on the veteran’s minimum, signing for $2.1 million. As he turns 30 in July, this offseason might give Kornet his best chance to earn a salary beyond the minimum. He’s never made more than $2.5 million in a season, with his career earnings being just north of $13 million.
While it seems like other teams might give Kornet the opportunity to double his career earnings this offseason, keeping the veteran center became more vital for the Celtics this past week. After trading away Kristaps Porzingis, the only veteran bigs the Celtics have under contract for next season are Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman Sr. Al Horford will also hit the open market when NBA free agency begins at 6 p.m. on Monday.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has made it clear that keeping Kornet and Horford was the team’s top order of business in free agency.
“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,” Stevens told reporters on Wednesday. “Those guys are huge parts of this organization.
“They’re going to have, I’m sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that’s well-deserved, but I think that would be a priority. At the same time, I don’t want to put pressure on them. It’s their call, ultimately. But, yeah, we would love to have those guys back.”
Even though Kornet has won a title with the Celtics and could be a frequent starter for the team next season, both the Clippers and Spurs can offer him a decent amount of playing time and a chance to compete. Los Angeles is searching for a backup big after it lost in the first round of the playoffs last season. San Antonio has also been in the market for a big to backup emerging star Victor Wembanyama, as many believe the Spurs will make a postseason push in 2025-26.
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