Kendrick Perkins was never mad about being traded by Boston Celtics: ’It was actually a smart move’

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/07/kendrick-perkins-was-never-mad-about-being-traded-by-boston-celtics-it-was-actually-a-smart-move.html



Kendrick Perkins was never mad about being traded by Boston Celtics: ’It was actually a smart move’


Posted Jul 3, 10:40 PM



By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



Boston Celtics fans love certain kinds of players.

Anyone who is hard-working and willing to do all of the dirty work to get a win instantly become a Boston sports hero.

Kendrick Perkins has always fit that bill. He was the young, malleable brute molded by Kevin Garnett’s vulgar intensity. Dirty work was Perkins’ game, and he thrived as the team’s muscle.

It made him extraordinarily popular. So popular that now, more than eight years later, people are still upset that he was traded by Danny Ainge.

Perkins, though, not only understood the trade, he applauded it. On the latest Hoop Collective podcast, Perkins detoured from the conversation about Kawhi Leonard’s free agency to explain that he was leaving Boston anyway, and he was not only expecting to be traded, he thought it was a good move.

“I knew I was getting traded," Perkins said. "Danny and I used to meet in his office all the time. And I remember he pitched a deal to me. I was just coming off a four-year, $16 million deal, and he was like ‘Perk, we love you, we don’t have the money, but would you be willing to take another deal, but you’ll make $6 million a year,’ and I was like ‘well Danny, I’m 25, I’m looking at starting centers right now and their average salary is $10 (million)-plus’ and he could respect that... so it surprised everybody else but it didn’t surprise me. And, I was not mad at Danny because Danny could have sent me anywhere. He sent me to place that he knew they was going to pay me what I was worth. So it wasn’t a bad trade on Danny’s part because I was leaving Boston anyway that summer, so it was actually a smart move by Danny.”

Celtics fans my not have realized that Perkins would have left on his own that summer, and that the trade was Ainge’s way of getting something for his departing center. Perkins said he was hurt that Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neil were filling in well for him and that the team didn’t seem to be skipping a beat after his ACL injury.

Another championship eluded Boston, but Perkins was apparently never going to be part of the long-term plan. He got a significant amount of money that he was never going to get from the Celtics, and he seems happy about that.

Maybe the last few Celtics fans upset that he was traded can finally be happy about it too.



bob
MY NOTE:  The last sentence was written specifically for Cowens.  Nobody has held onto Perk longer than him.

.

He never should have traded him. He should have went over the cap or something.

Only Cowens is strong enough to hold onto Perk.

Though I have never been as vocal about it, I have always been in agreement with Cow, that trade cost us a title. Perks value to that squad was and still is not appreciated enough.

One of the dumbest things Danny has done in his role as GM was not keep Perk in Boston.

Yes we do. But Jeff Greene showed so much promise. Still, we had a bird and a title in hand with Perk.

cowens/oldschool wrote:

Matty wrote:Though I have never been as vocal about it, I have always been in agreement  with Cow, that trade cost us a title. Perks value to that squad was and still is not appreciated  enough.

One of the dumbest things Danny has done in his role as GM was not keep Perk in Boston.

Whole motherfockin board agrees with us.....

 It's amazing how different hindsight analysis can differ from real time dicissions. Now you take the Perkins trade of Feb 24 2011.
 The Celtics started the season with O'Neal at center and were 27-9 for a .750%. His last game was 2/1/11 - sat out the balance of the regular season with a heel injury - at the time not considered long term.
 Perkins returned to lineup 1/25/ 11 and played 12 games before the trade - winning 8 and losing 4 for a .667%. Unforunately the medical staff got it wrong and O'Neal only played briefly in the final game of the season.

  swish

  Add on,,, Perkins career record after the trade - you be the judge.

  Kendrick Perkins: Per Game (2010-11 to 2015-16)
From To G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2011 2016 339 237 21.6 1.7 3.5 .473 0.0 0.0 .000 1.7 3.5 .474 .473  0.7 1.3 .573 1.4 4.1 5.5 1.1 0.4 0.8 1.5 2.7 4.1