Celtics' Luke Kornet Opens Up on Upcoming Free Agency

Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet spoke about his upcoming free agency and his uncertainty about whether or not he would remain with the Celtics in the upcoming season.

“Regarding going forward it’s like, I’ll figure out stuff when it kind of comes to it,” Kornet said. “At this point, you’re just kind of trying to unwind and spend some time with family and you don’t even know what everything is gonna look like because you just got done playing. That’s kind of what it is for now.”

Kornet played a career-high 73 games during the 2024-25 season for the Celtics, averaging 6.0 points and 5.3 rebounds throughout the season. He proved his value to the Celtics in a Game 5 win against the New York Knicks, where he posted 11 points and a career-high seven blocks while shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field.

The Celtics fell in Game 6 to the Knicks, ending their season in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

“The year, obviously it didn’t ultimately end in what we wanted to do and accomplish,” Kornet said. “It’s like a good deal to look back on well. I mean obviously the day after, that’s a little tough. But I think that it was a little more time to be able to kind of appreciate things for what they were. Obviously we had some good stretches and we ultimately came short, so it’s just kind of the taste in the mouth for the time being.”

The big man bounced around the league until landing with the Celtics in the 2021-22 season. Boston re-signed him after that season to a two-year, $4.54 million contract, then again to a one-year, $2.08 million deal after their title-winning season.

Kornet's future with the Celtics is far from decided, as they will need to shed cap space to avoid a salary and luxury tax bill of $500 million, which would be the highest in NBA history. Celtics center Al Horford will also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and with Kristaps Porzingis' health issues looming, the Celtics will need to figure out their big man situation sooner rather than later.

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Jaylen Brown Could Be Odd Man Out in Celtics Cap Crunch

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