Luke Kornet explains why he left Celtics for Spurs

Boston Celtics

Kornet has a bigger contract and an expanded role, but the decision to leave was not easy, he said.

Luke Kornet made one of the earliest splashes of the free-agency period last summer, signing a 4-year, $41 million deal with the Spurs.

Kornet had spent at least a portion of each season with the Celtics since 2021 up until this year. He had a couple of brief stints with the Bucks and Cavs in 2022, but ultimately worked his way into a regular rotation spot with the Celtics after developing his game in Maine.

Just 29 games into this season, Kornet has already reached a career-high in starts (21). He’s averaging 24.9 minutes per game, also a career-best.

With the new contract signed and a bigger role secured, Kornet spoke with reporters about his decision to join the Spurs ahead of his return to TD Garden on Saturday.

The Celtics were looking at ways to get out of the second apron at the time, and Kornet ended up getting a substantial raise with San Antonio. Despite that, the decision to leave the Celtics was not easy, he said.

“Ultimately it was kind of between here and Boston,” Kornet said. “I feel like after a lot of conversations with my wife and just feeling like, honestly, a lot of prayer and realization of where we are in life.”

“It was very, very difficult to leave a lot of different relationships,” he added. “But, just kind of feeling like we’re in a different part of life and being open to wherever God kind of willed us and I feel like that’s just where it took us. You just kind of accept it and take that step forward and try to keep figuring it out from there.”

When asked about Kornet’s contributions to the Celtics, coach Joe Mazzulla reflected on time spent together off the court.

“The biggest thing that stands out about Luke is that I miss going to mass with him,” Mazzulla said. “We used to go to church on the road.”

Derrick White spoke about how much he saw Kornet grow on and off the court.

“Just a guy that doesn’t care about anything but being a good teammate,” White said in a video posted by CLNS Media. “He’ll do the dirty work, everything that we need to do to win. He had continued to do that with San Antonio. Unbelievable person. The kind of guy you want to hang around. He’ll try to make everybody laugh, smile, and have a good time.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Kornet fit the style that San Antonio wanted to play with Victor Wembanyama down low. Kornet’s attitude and willingness to do the little things helped him fit right in.

“I think he’s been a guy that, going back to the start of his career, obviously had to earn his way in this league to be a rotational player,” Johnson said. “He proved here at the highest level that he can star in his role and help players around him on the court. I think it’s really hard to find guys in this league to do that almost exclusively at times without the basketball.”

Kornet’s role has changed as he continues to adapt to his new team, but he says the work that helped shape his career in Maine helps keep things in perspective.

“Obviously we were able to have some success here. It was awesome to be a part of,” Kornet said of his time with the Celtics. “I had no idea I would end up here. At the time I was just trying to figure out a way to stay in the NBA.

“When I came to Maine it was just like ‘let’s see if we can give another shot at this’ and then obviously we’ve been able to have quite a run since then. I’m just thankful to be playing each year, honestly just taking it one at a time.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.