Luke Kornet just sent a final goodbye to the Celtics after move

Boston Celtics fans have had to cope with a lot over the past few months. First, Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles, then the team’s season came to an end earlier than expected, and now many pieces of the 2024 NBA Championship team are headed to new homes.

Luke Kornet is among those who won’t be wearing Celtics green next season. The beloved big man, known for his endless bag of ridiculous celebrations, agreed to join the San Antonio Spurs this summer on a four-year, $41 million deal.

The lucrative agreement came on the heels of what was, perhaps, his best season as a pro. Kornet appeared in 73 games for Boston last year, averaging 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and a block per game on an efficient 67.5% clip from the field. He capped off the strong campaign with a memorable performance in Game 5 of the Cs’ second-round series vs. the New York Knicks. His seven rejections tied him with Kendrick Perkins and Robert Parrish for the second-most (Robert Williams, 9, 2021) blocks by a Celtic in a single playoff game.

Luke Kornet bids farewell to Celtics, thanks Derrick White for selling him on the Spurs

Kornet was an awesome success story in Boston. He was a supposed afterthought in a three-team salary dumping trade in 2021, where the Cs offloaded Daniel Theis and Javonte Green. The Texas native finished the season with the Celtics, who later waived him, and then bounced around on 10-day contracts before eventually making his way back to the team in 2022. From that point on, he showed consistent improvement and eventually became a rotation mainstay on a championship team, for which he’ll be remembered forever.

“I’m grateful for all the time that I had in Boston,” Kornet told the media during his introductory press conference with the Spurs (via the team’s YouTube page). “I feel like it was a really appropriate place for the last several years and grateful for all the opportunity that it was. But, just kind of felt led, and then throughout the process, just felt like San Antonio was really the place that kind of had everything that we hoped for.”

There’s a strong possibility that “everything” Kornet and his family had hoped for includes his significant raise. He’s always wanted to pay off his mortgage, after all.

The unfortunate reality is that the Cs weren’t ever going to be able to clear enough room to offer the 29-year-old the same level of compensation. Financial constraints brought on by the newest edition of the CBA already have the team in a vice, even without his new deal on the books.

So, Celtics fans should just be thankful he went to a team that they don’t have to actively root against (like the Los Angeles Lakers, who entered the offseason in dire need of a center).

Instead, he joins the Spurs -- a team that helped Boston build their championship roster by trading them Derrick White. White, ironically, helped Kornet in his decision to head to San Antonio. The big man explained that White’s positive experiences made the move easier.

“Derrick, obviously, it was such a great place for him. He’s kind of come to his own in Boston. I got called up to Boston, and he got traded there at the same time, so I feel like it was interesting to see him grow into a new place after a place that he really cherished for a lot of years. Just grateful to be able to be a part of this.”

Kornet now joins a young, up-and-coming Spurs team, where he’ll be backing up Victor Wembanyama in the middle. The role should be similar to the one in which he thrived with the Celtics, so the fit makes a ton of sense. Hopefully, Kornet will continue to thrive in his new NBA home.