The Celtics will be bringing back at least one of their free agents to training camp later this month. A league source confirmed to MassLive.com that the team has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with big man Luke Kornet. Chris Grenham of Forbes was first to report the news.
Kornet was acquired by the Celtics at the trade deadline last season as part of a deal that sent Daniel Theis and Javonte Green to the Chicago Bulls and also landed Mo Wagner in Boston. Kornet was not expected to survive the team’s roster crunch at the big man position but he outplayed Mo Wagner during his first week with the team, resulting in Wagner being waived and Kornet keeping his roster spot as a third-string center for the remainder of the season.
The 26-year-old faces long odds of making Boston’s 15-man roster next season after Brad Stevens revamped the team’s big man rotation but Kornet will compete for a final roster spot in training camp. He will battle Jabari Parker and Juwan Morgan for the final slot on the roster.
Kornet posted 4.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for Boston last season while averaging 14.1 minutes per game over 18 contests. He’s played four years in the NBA overall with two-year stints with the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls before landing with the Celtics via trade. The former Vanderbilt standout could be a nice rim protector at the end of the bench but will need to improve his 3-point shooting (career-low 25 percent last season) in order to make the team.
Boston now has 18 players under contract heading into training camp.
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