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The 2025 offseason was expected to be a busy one for the Boston Celtics, and the start of free agency confirmed that. On Monday night, former Celtics center and fan favorite Luke Kornet agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, per ESPN insider Shams Charania. Less than an hour after Kornet's departure, Charania reported that Boston nabbed a replacement, bringing in 26-year-old center Luka Garza for $5.5 million over two years.
These moves shouldn't be a complete shock for Celtics fans, as Kornet upped his value by overachieving during the 2024-25 season, averaging six points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in a career-high 18.6 minutes per game. Although Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens wasn't shy about wanting Kornet back, it couldn't have been for the price the Spurs delivered.
The Celtics recently ducked under the second apron after trading away veteran guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis. Paying Kornet around $40 million would've reversed all of that financial maneuvering. The backup big earned just a little over $2 million last season, making it unlikely that he'd agree to another short-term, vet minimum deal.
Who is Luka Garza? And what's next for the Celtics at center?
Since Boston couldn't afford Kornet's new price, it shifted its attention to the open market and found Garza.
Any college basketball enthusiast should recognize the 6-foot-10 big man. Garza won the prestigious John R. Wooden Award in 2021 for being the best player in the NCAA. He shined at Iowa for four years before declaring for the NBA, starting his professional career with the Detroit Pistons.
The late second-round pick, similarly to Kornet, had to fight his way into the Association via the G League. He did so with the Motor City Cruise in 2022 while on a two-way contract, going up to the “big leagues” every now and then to play a total of 32 NBA games that season.
Garza's next official stop was with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. There, he spent time on another two-way contract until April of 2024, when he finally earned a standard contract in order to join the Timberwolves' playoff roster.
While Garza played in less than 100 games over the course of three seasons with the T-Wolves, his body of work was enough to impress the Celtics. Plus, and perhaps most importantly, Boston could pay him without breaking the bank.
The C's now employ three true centers in Garza, 25-year-old Neemias Queta, and rookie Amari Williams. None of these big men have much NBA experience, so Boston's hunt for a solution at the five spot may continue, whether it be through a signing or a trade.
The front office would love to bring back free agent center Al Horford and have Garza, Queta, and Williams learn under him. However, the future Hall of Famer could — like Kornet — command a lot of money in free agency.
There are already rumors tying Horford to the Golden State Warriors, and the Celtics might not have the funds to prevail in a bidding war. If Boston is unable to re-sign its oldest player, it'll have to quickly pivot to other options or prepare for an uncertain, experimental preseason.
