Kornet, a former NBA champion with the Celtics, will serve as a key addition to a Spurs frontcourt that went into the offseason needing some retooling.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a four-year, $41 million deal with free agent center Luke Kornet, according to NBA insiders.
Kornet’s signing begins to answer one big question the team had heading into the offseason: Who could San Antonio bring on to provide relief for one of the league’s young stars and reigning blocked-shots champion Victor Wembanyama? In signing the 7-foot-1, 250-pound Vandy product, the Spurs have opted for someone with championship experience who is also a reliable shot from the field.
The signing comes a week after some speculated the Spurs might have targeted a center with the No. 14 pick in the NBA Draft. Instead they used that pick on 6-foot-8 forward Carter Bryant, opening up a path for the Spurs to shore up their center depth in free agency, which began Monday afternoon.
Charles Bassey, the Spurs’ current backup center who missed most of the second half last season due to injuries. In 36 games, 24-year-old Bassey scored 4.4 pounds per matchup while tallying 4.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. He’s a free agent this summer.
Kornet, who was a member of the 2024 NBA Championship-winning Celtics squad, will serve as a key addition and upgrade for the Spurs frontcourt reserves. Last season with the Boston, he averaged 6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assist while shooting almost 67% from the field.
Most of that playing time came off the bench, but the numbers show Kornet can be reliable as a plug-in starter if need be—and the need may arise as Wembanyama returns from the blood clot diagnosis that ended his sophomore season early this spring. As a starter in Boston last year, Kornet tallied 10.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting over 73% in those 16 matchups.
One of his best performances off the season came in the playoffs against the New York Knicks, when Kornet came in off the bench and stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 7 blocks and 9 rebounds in a Boston win.