Knicks Could Poach Celtics Depth Center

The New York Knicks were the first stop on Luke Kornet's journey in the NBA from 2017-19.

The undrafted center out of Vanderbilt bounced around the Eastern Conference for a few seasons before landing with the Boston Celtics in February 2022.

Since then, Kornet has emerged into one of the best backup centers in the NBA, helping the Celtics win the Finals last year. This season, Kornet had his best year yet before he became a free agent.

Bleacher Report writer Mo Dakhil builds a case for Kornet to be a highly sought after free agent.

"Over the past three campaigns, Kornet has seen his minutes increase from 11.7 to 15.6 to 18.6 per game. Last season, Boston was focused on resting Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, so his role expanded, and he averaged 6.0 points per night, shooting 66.8 percent from the field while averaging a career-high 5.3 rebounds (all in a career-high 18.6 minutes)," Dakhil wrote.

"Despite trimming costs over the last week, the Celtics do want to bring Kornet back. He played 73 games for them last season, starting 16 of them."

"Boston, however, will face stiff competition to sign him, since he's a bargain at a minimum."

"Bringing a player like Kornet, who is willing to do all the dirty work as a big at such a low cost, will surely have his phone ringing off the hook."

A reunion between Kornet and the Knicks would help New York's center rotation, but it is unlikely to happen.

The Knicks need wings instead of centers, but if they were to trade Mitchell Robinson at some point during the offseason, signing Kornet would be a perfect fit for the team.

Robinson has one year left on his deal and could be traded for the right price, especially if Kornet is on the roster to replace him. That should make the Knicks feel good ahead of the season.