Journeyman center Luke Kornet departed from the Boston Celtics in free agency and signed with the San Antonio Spurs on a four-year, $41 million deal. The move from New England to Texas comes with a number change for the backup big man, who traded in his No. 40 jersey with the Celtics for a single-digit replacement, selecting No. 7 with the Spurs.
Kornet’s twofold reasoning for the new number sparked laughter in his debut media availability with his new team.
“I’ve never worn the number before,” Kornet said. “Honestly for me, I feel like I’m in a time of life where me and my family, seven is a big number of covenant and fulfillment and order and the faith. That’s kind of what called me to it. The secondary reason was I just hope to be a third of the player that Tim Duncan was.”
Duncan is, of course, a franchise legend. The Hall of Famer won five NBA championships with the Spurs, earned a pair of MVP honors and made 15 All-Star teams as one of the faces of the sport throughout the 2000s and 2010s. He donned the No. 21 jersey — a number three times as large as Kornet’s — for the entirety of his storied career.
If the 7-foot-2 Kornet were to win even a third of Duncan’s career titles, he would cement his name into Spurs lore.
“I love multiples, factors,” Kornet said. “Break it all down.”
NBA free agency: Celtics lose another key player as Luke Kornet agrees to sign with Spurs, per report
Jack Maloney
The $41 million deal sets Kornet up to earn an average of $10.25 million per year. In contrast, he earned a total of just over $11 million over his first eight years as a pro, which came with the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks before he flourished off the bench in Boston. He bounced between the NBA and G League since his arrival on the scene as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Kornet carved out the most meaningful role of his career over the last three years with the Celtics. He added to his start total each season, peaking at 16 last season across 73 appearances. The 29-year-old center tallied 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and a block while shooting 66.8% in 18.6 minutes per game as a key reserve. He became a fan favorite in part because of his entertaining demeanor.
“I’m grateful for all the time I had in Boston,” Kornet said. “I feel like it was a really appropriate place for the last several years. Grateful for all the opportunity that it was. But I just kind of felt led, and then I feel like throughout the process I just felt like San Antonio was really the place that had everything we’d hope for and felt peaceful in it.”