Kendrick Perkins claims to know which team Kevin Durant will choose as a free agent
Kendrick Perkins is no longer a relevant NBA player, and hasn't been for quite some time. But as a member of the 2008 Celtics team that is lionized in Boston by fans and media alike, he receives a hero's welcome anytime he returns to town.
So, when Perkins (who is currently taking up a roster spot with the Pelicans) was back in Boston on Wednesday, the locals decided he was a worthy interview subject. And actually, some national news came out of the session, if you choose to believe any of what he had to say.
Perkins played three-and-a-half seasons with the Thunder, and built a relationship with Kevin Durant during that time. Durant, of course, is a top-five player in the league, and will be coveted by every team this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. And Perkins believes he may know where Durant might sign.
"As a friend, I try not to talk to him too much about free agency," Perkins said, via ESPN. "I always try to just want to talk to him about things outside of basketball. We talk about personal life and stuff like that. And I know he’s getting this question every day on the hour and stuff like that, so I try not to bother him.
"But he did shoot some teams out there that he made me sign a confidentiality form that I couldn’t tell nobody. He’s got a few teams that he will be looking at.”
As the questions continued, Perkins continued to make the case that he may have some concrete information about Durant's impending decision.
"You’re trying to get me to really answer the question," Perkins said. "I can’t answer that. I want to, but I can’t. I mean, I don’t know. I do know, but I don’t know."
Perkins doesn't know, because Durant doesn't even know himself.
The most likely outcome is that Durant will return to the Thunder next season, on a deal similar to the one LeBron James has in Cleveland -- one year at the maximum salary allowed, with a player option for a second season. Not only would that make the most sense financially as the salary cap continues to rise, but it would delay Durant's decision until Russell Westbrook is a free agent the following summer.
At that point, they could decide together whether or not continuing their careers as teammates in OKC would really be the best overall option.
