If the Boston Celtics had re-signed center Luke Kornet this summer, they may have had to pay the big man more than what reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal makes with the Detroit Tigers. For NHL fans, Vegas Golden Knights superstar Jack Eichel has the comparable contract to what Kornet is set to make in his new contract with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
Bleacher Report’s Bryan Toporek broke down “The Wildest Cross-Sport Contract Comparisons from 2025 NBA Free Agency” in a post on Thursday and called Kornet’s four-year, $41 million deal with the Spurs “further proof that you should raise your kids to play basketball.”
The Vanderbilt product’s contract’s $10.25 million average annual value (AAV) is more than what Eichel makes with the Golden Knights ($10 million AAV) and what Skubal earns with the Tigers ($10.15 million AAV). It’s also nearly as much as 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson will make in his new contract with the New York Giants ($10.5 million AAV).
While Skubal just made his second straight AL All-Star team and is perhaps headed for his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award, and Eichel is a four-time All-Star, Kornet is an undrafted soon-to-be 30-year-old with career averages of 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 14.9 minutes per game across eight seasons.
Kornet is, however, coming off his best NBA season.
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The Texas native finished the regular season with career highs in games played (73), minutes (18.6), rebounds (5.3) and assists (1.6) per contest. Kornet’s 6.0 points per game were his most in five years, his 16 starts were his most in six seasons and he shot 66.8% from the field.
With fellow center Kristaps Porzingis battling through an ongoing upper respiratory illness for much of the playoffs, Kornet stepped up, especially during Boston’s final win of the season.
After Jayson Tatum suffered a devastating season-ending Achilles injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, Kornet posted a near-triple-double (10 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks) in Game 5 to lift the Celtics to a victory and prolonged the campaign for a couple of more days.
He finished the postseason averaging 4.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 16.4 minutes on 72.4% shooting across 11 games, including one start.
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Kornet may not have the accolades that Eichel and Skubal have, but he cashed in on a big 2024-25 campaign and is set for a big payday next season.