With the Oklahoma City Thunder being crowned champions, the NBA offseason has officially begun. The Boston Celtics' season was unsuccessful by their standards, as they were upset by the New York Knicks in the second round, losing Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles in the process.
They are now amid arguably their most important offseason in recent memory. The Celtics entered with an estimated tax bill of $238 million, but since trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are now below the second apron.
With the team's championship core slowly breaking apart, it’s uncertain who Brad Stevens and company will move on from next, but with this latest big man signing, the Celtics may have no choice but to let their fan favorite walk.
Celtics Will Have to Let Luke Kornet Walk in Free Agency
This season, especially these last few months, Luke Kornet played a major role off the Celtics' bench, showcasing that he can be a reliable contributor. Kornet had his best season with the Celtics, averaging 6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1 block, shooting 66.8% from the field.
When Kristaps Porzingis was down, Kornet stepped up, playing a career-high 73 games, starting 16 of them, averaging 18.6 minutes. In the last 21 games of the season, Kornet averaged 22.1 minutes, 7.9 points, 6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and .9 blocks.
His fun, feel-good personality that Celtics’ fans adored translated right onto the court, quickly becoming a fan favorite. However, his tenure with the Celtics may come to an end after Daniel Gafford’s extension.
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford intends to sign a three-year contract extension worth nearly $60 million, sources tell ESPN. Mavericks officials and Gafford's agents, Mike George and Shy Saee of Klutch Sports, negotiated the new deal through 2028-29. pic.twitter.com/KinN3vFri6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2025
Gafford’s extension puts Kornet in a position to seek a pay raise. Although Kornet is not on the same level as Gafford, he’s arguably one of the best backup centers in free agency.
His play over the last few months, especially in Game 5 versus the Knicks, where he posted 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks, should garner interest in free agency. With the Celtics' focus on cutting costs, this puts them in a tough spot.
They just traded away Porzingis and now have a hole at center, with Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman as the only bigs, and Al Horford also being a free agent. The Celtics have Kornet’s Bird Rights, meaning they could retain him, but they would go over the second apron again.
Unless Kornet is willing to re-sign on a team-friendly deal, the Celtics have no choice but to let him walk, as they continue to cut costs and retool the team to be in championship-level contention once Tatum comes back.