After an active day for the Boston Celtics with the anticipated signing of Danilo Gallinari and the surprise trade for Malcolm Brogdon, the team reached an agreement with center Luke Kornet to return to Boston next season. Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the deal, and the two parties came to terms on a two-year contract; the deal is reportedly for the veteran minimum and partially guaranteed.
Kornet, who turns 27 on July 15th, is entering his sixth season and will provide some end of the bench depth for the Celtics following the multi-player package the team shipped to Indiana for Malcolm Brogdon. After being acquired by the team initially at the trade deadline in 2021, Kornet spent time with the Maine Celtics and spent some time on 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks before returning to the Celtics after the trade deadline in February of 2022.
The signing brings Boston’s roster count to 11 players following the Pacers trade as Brad Stevens continues to work diligently in free agency. Boston is reportedly working on a new long-term deal with wingman Sam Hauser, and the team was also in talks with free agent center Thomas Bryant as of this morning. Sources tell CelticsBlog’s Keith Smith that the re-signing of Luke Kornet does not take them off the search for more big man depth as the team reshapes their roster following their Finals run.
