The Celtics have reached an agreement with Luke Kornet on a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (X link).
Terms of the deal weren’t released, but given Boston’s financial restrictions, it’s almost certainly another veteran’s minimum contract. With seven years of NBA experience, Kornet is projected to make $2.8M next season.
The 28-year-old center has played an important role off the Celtics’ bench over the past two seasons and saw regular rotation minutes throughout this year’s championship run. He appeared in 63 games during the regular season, making seven starts and averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per night.
Re-signing Kornet became a bigger priority after the announcement that Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined five-to-six months after surgery, which means he’ll miss the start of next season. The team doesn’t want to overwork 38-year-old center Al Horford, so it needs productive big men off its bench.
Kornet began his NBA career with New York in 2017 and spent time with Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee before coming to Boston. He will be an unrestricted free agent again next summer.
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