The second round of the 2024-25 NBA playoffs is heating up as the Boston Celtics are still fighting to keep their postseason dreams alive. Game 3's 115-93 win over the New York Knicks helped the Celtics cut the series deficit down to 2-1, leaving it up to Joe Mazzulla's team to prove if it can even the postseason showdown with a Game 4 win on Monday.
Even though the playoffs are far from over, some Celtics fans are already looking ahead to the offseason. Several changes could be coming to Beantown as Boston's front office looks to save as much money as possible, meaning a handful of familiar faces could be sent packing this summer.
Celtics Must Replace Luke Kornet With Mason Plumlee in Free Agency
One Celtics veteran who might be hitting the road this offseason is Luke Kornet.
The veteran center is playing on an expiring contract that has only paid him $2.8 million in cash this season. Considering how Kornet averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks with a 66.8% field-goal percentage in 73 regular-season games (16 starts) with the Celtics last season, there's a good chance he'll be looking to make more money as a free agent.
If Kornet's asking price is too expensive, the Celtics could look to replace him with a handful of free-agent centers, including Mason Plumlee.
Plumlee, 35, is a veteran big man who's played over 900 regular-season and playoff games during his time with seven franchises. He most recently exceeded expectations on an underperforming Phoenix Suns team this year, averaging 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds with a 61.9 FG% playing 17.6 minutes per night across 74 outings (21 starts).
The former Duke Blue Devil isn't as athletic nor does he possess the offensive upside that he once did, but he's still capable of being a backup center on a contending team like the Celtics. He's also brimming with postseason experience from the 71 playoff games he has under his belt, which includes making 19 appearances during the Denver Nuggets' run to the 2019-20 Western Conference Finals.
Even though Kornet is the slightly better player of the pair, the difference is negligible when contracts are factored in. Plumlee playing on a veteran minimum contract could be more attractive to the Celtics than overpaying to keep Kornet in town, especially when the latter's potential departure isn't close to being the end of the world.
At the end of the day, those are the types of sacrifices Bill Chisolm will be looking to make in his first offseason as Celtics owner.
With less than two months before NBA free agency begins, it won't be much longer before Celtics fans have a better idea of Kornet's future, as well as Plumlee's chances of coming to Boston.