Journeyman middle Luke Kornet departed from the Boston Celtics in free company and signed with the San Antonio Spurs on a four-year, $41 million deal. The transfer from New England to Texas comes with a quantity change for the backup huge man, who traded in his No. 40 jersey with the Celtics for a single-digit substitute, deciding on No. 7 with the Spurs.
Kornet’s twofold reasoning for the brand new quantity sparked laughter in his debut media availability along with his new staff.
“I’ve by no means worn the quantity earlier than,” Kornet said. “Truthfully for me, I really feel like I am in a time of life the place me and my household, seven is a giant variety of covenant and achievement and order and the religion. That is form of what known as me to it. The secondary motive was I simply hope to be a 3rd of the participant that Tim Duncan was.”
Duncan is, after all, a franchise legend. The Corridor of Famer received 5 NBA championships with the Spurs, earned a pair of MVP honors and made 15 All-Star groups as one of many faces of the game all through the 2000s and 2010s. He donned the No. 21 jersey — a quantity 3 times as giant as Kornet’s — for the whole lot of his storied profession.
If the 7-foot-2 Kornet had been to win even a 3rd of Duncan’s profession titles, he would cement his title into Spurs lore.
“I really like multiples, components,” Kornet stated. “Break all of it 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 units Kornet as much as earn a mean of $10.25 million per 12 months. In distinction, he earned a complete of simply over $11 million over his first eight years as a professional, which got here with the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks earlier than 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 probably the most significant function of his profession during the last three years with the Celtics. He added to his begin whole every season, peaking at 16 final season throughout 73 appearances. The 29-year-old middle tallied 6.0 factors, 5.3 rebounds and a block whereas capturing 66.8% in 18.6 minutes per sport as a key reserve. He turned a fan favourite partly due to his entertaining demeanor.
“I am grateful for on a regular basis I had in Boston,” Kornet stated. “I really feel prefer it was a very acceptable place for the final a number of years. Grateful for all the chance that it was. However I simply form of felt led, after which I really feel like all through the method I simply felt like San Antonio was actually the place that had all the things we would hope for and felt peaceable in it.”