The NBA Finals kicks off on Wednesday night (8:30 p.m. ET) as the San Antonio Spurs take on the New York Knicks in San Antonio.

The Spurs enjoyed a 62-20 regular season, earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind all-everything center Victor Wembanyama. The Knicks went 53-29, earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture before beating the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers en route to the NBA Finals.

New York is looking for its first NBA championship since 1973 while the Spurs haven't won since 2014. 

Boston Celtics fans, who are undoubtedly wishing the C's were in the NBA Finals, don't have much of a reason to tune in, but there is one: Luke Kornet.

The likable big man is on the Spurs roster after signing in San Antonio last offseason, and it's worth wondering if he would have helped Boston this past season.

Now 30 years old, Kornet is a nine-year veteran of the Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Celtics and Spurs. Kornet bounced around the league until he found a home in Boston, where he spent parts of five seasons from 2021-25. He played 63 games or more in each of his four full seasons with the C's, serving as an integral part of the team that won the NBA Finals in 2023-24. 

Not much of a scorer, he averaged 4.9 ppg with the Celtics while also pulling down 3.9 rebounds. He started 16 games for the Celtics in 2024-25, elevating his production to 6.0 ppg. He played in 43 playoffs with Boston.

Kornet signed a four-year, $40 million deal with the Spurs last summer and became a solid role player for them as well. He appeared in 68 games, earning 25 starts, averaging a career-best 6.5 ppg and 6.1 rebounds.

Of course he could have, as depth is something every team can use. That said, $40 million is a lot to pay a player, especially during a summer when the Celtics were very clearly re-working their payroll situation.

In addition to letting Kornet go, the Celtics also saw Al Horford leave in free agency, and they traded both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. 

While Kornet's rebounding ability, hustle and solid personality would have surely benefited Boston, the team can't be too upset about how things played out: Neemias Queta elevated into a very useful big man. He averaged 10.2 ppg and 8.4 rebounds in the regular season, though he was largely ineffective in the playoff loss to the 76ers,

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has said he wants the team to get better at the rim moving forward, implying he wants them to be less reliant on the three-point shot. Kornet could have helped balance things out, but he's not the kind of impact player offensively that Queta is. And perhaps the Celtics will be looking for even more impact next season, something that just isn't Kornet's game.

Regardless, Celtics fans will certainly be rooting him on as he chases his second NBA title.

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