Luke kornet speaks about his decision to leave Boston Celtics at the expiry of his contract… Here is what he said…

“There was definitely some looking around during free agency and hearing from other teams,” Kornet told CLNS Media. Several teams expressed interest in him when he became an unrestricted free agent in July. Despite the chance to secure his first significant NBA payday after playing a key depth role on a championship-caliber team, Kornet chose to re-sign with the Celtics on a one-year minimum deal, which includes a de facto no-trade clause. Austin Ainge had previously mentioned that several returning Celtics turned down higher offers to stay, with Kornet being the first to sign in free agency.

After starting in three preseason games while Kristaps Porziņģis was out and Al Horford was easing back into action, head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t rule out the possibility of Kornet remaining a starter into the regular season. Kornet averaged 9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 73.9% in his four preseason games.

Kornet has been with the Celtics through three coaches and two Finals runs, mastering the team’s systems on both ends of the floor to become a highly reliable option, even during the postseason. Off the court, his quirky sense of humor has helped bond the team’s diverse personalities, making it hard to imagine the Celtics without him.

“I kind of knew all along that it would be hard to go anywhere else,” Kornet said. “Boston felt like the best fit, especially with my family here. There were good opportunities elsewhere, but this is the group where I feel like I can accomplish the most and compete at the highest level. After five years here, it’s hard to want anything else, especially with most of the group returning. It’s an honor to play here.”

Fans took a long time to warm up to Kornet. Some still haven’t. Tall, lanky, scruffy, and sometimes awkward on the floor, he initially seemed like a throw-in during the Daniel Theis salary dump. But Brad Stevens, then head coach, had long been interested in Kornet. He played solid defense and hit key threes in a comeback win over the Thunder, quickly showing his ability to defend pick-and-rolls.

The following summer wasn’t as fruitful for Kornet in free agency. Not even the Celtics had room for him after Stevens became president, and with Horford and Enes Freedom returning, Kornet settled for a contract with the Maine Celtics. There, he revamped his game, focusing on screening, facilitating, and moving closer to the basket. Kornet later had stints with Milwaukee and Cleveland during the COVID season, even starting against Boston in 2021-22.

Ross McMains, a former Maine and current Celtics assistant, said Kornet was doing things that NBA teams now teach, but back then, he relied solely on his basketball IQ and feel for the game.

When Kornet returned to Boston in 2022-23, many called for an upgrade at backup center. With Robert Williams III recovering from surgery and Horford aging, the team started experimenting with Kornet alongside the starters. Though it didn’t fully materialize, Kornet made his mark, playing 69 games and averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 66.5%.

Even with those performances, Kornet doesn’t dominate the way other centers do. He’s not a traditional post-up player or a physically dominant rebounder. Instead, he uses angles, reads the game well, sets effective screens, and defends space intelligently. Last season, he improved his offensive rebounding and finished at a 70% rate. The Celtics won all seven games Kornet started, and he played valuable playoff minutes with Porziņģis out.

In preseason games against Denver and Philadelphia this year, Kornet showed his value once again, meshing well with the starters and grabbing 11 rebounds against the Nuggets. As the Celtics look to manage Horford’s minutes and integrate Porziņģis, Kornet could fill the role of starting center when needed.

In typical fashion, Kornet downplayed his individual success, crediting Boston’s aggressive defense for freeing him up. “It’s business as usual,” he said. While he and Mazzulla haven’t discussed his regular-season role, Kornet emphasized the team’s mentality: being ready to step up whenever necessary.