Kendrick Perkins Trade Would Be Wrong Move to Revamp Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder would be wise to hang on to veteran center Kendrick Perkins past the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
The temptation to move Perkins is understandable. His expiring contract is enticing to teams looking to move a long-term deal, and the $9.1 million he's owed, per HoopsHype.com, allows the Thunder to chase a number of expensive targets. He's like a human AmEx gift card.
On the court, Perkins' slow feet and lack of an offensive skill set make him a liability. Opponents can afford to sag off Perkins and focus their attention on the Thunder's other scoring options.
The 30-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. Most recently, he was linked to the Thunder's reported quest of Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez in January, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. Those talks collapsed, and there has been no news on that front since.
The deal's failure to come to fruition is for the best. Even with his limitations, Perkins can be a valuable asset to a Thunder team that is developing into a dangerous playoff contender. After a rocky first two months, Oklahoma City is just a game behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth seed. If not for an Anthony Davis three-pointer at the buzzer, Kevin Durant and Co. would be riding a five-game winning streak.
With momentum building, there are a couple of reasons why now is not the time to use Perkins to shake things up.
Depth
Injuries have plagued the Thunder the entire season. After it seemed they weathered the storm and finally got back to full strength, disaster reared its ugly head once again. Starting center Steven Adams suffered a broken right hand against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 8.
According to a team news release on NBA.com, the injury required surgery, and Adams will be re-evaluated in three weeks. As ESPN.com's Royce Young points out though, the loss of Adams will be lessened by the upcoming All-Star break.
"If he returns after three weeks on March 2, Adams would miss only nine games because of the All-Star break," Young wrote.
With Adams out, Perkins becomes even more indispensable. He's now the team's only proven option at center. Rookie Mitch McGary, despite posting a double-double in each of his last two games, doesn't have the durability or experience to be trusted with a heavy workload just yet.
The team could move Nick Collison into the starting rotation and shift Serge Ibaka to center, but that still leaves them thin in the frontcourt.
The trade market for big men is rather shallow as well. Lopez, while an offensive upgrade over Perkins, hasn't exactly been the poster child for durability, either. He played just 17 games last year and has missed 10 contests this season.
The Denver Nuggets' JaVale McGee is just as fragile (just 21 appearances since 2012-13), and he has similar shortcomings as a scorer. In both cases, Perkins' contract would be required to make a deal work financially. That would still leave the team down a center until Adams returns.
Oklahoma City could use some of its other bargaining chips (Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones) to bring in another body, but it's unlikely they'd fetch much of an upgrade.
Barring a miraculous recovery by Adams, the Thunder will need Perkins more these next few weeks than they have all season.
Defense
While the downside to having Perkins in the lineup is a lack of scoring, the upside is his excellent interior defense. The big Texan is a tough, physical defender who is hard to move in the post. His size and strength come in handy when the Thunder go against rugged frontcourts like the Memphis Grizzlies (Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph), Houston Rockets (Dwight Howard) or San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan) in a loaded Western Conference.
Much like Adams, Perkins' willingness to mix it up inside gives Oklahoma City an edge. If this were the NHL, he'd be similar to an enforcer like the Toronto Maple Leafs' Colton Orr. A good example of Perkins' mean streak is his recent altercation with the New Orleans Pelicans' Tyreke Evans. The grizzled center was eventually suspended for one game after butting heads with the former Rookie of the Year, per NBA.com.
When he isn't exchanging pleasantries with opponents, Perkins is busy hindering their offense. The chart below shows how well scorers fare with Perkins defending, compared to when he isn't on the floor, courtesy of NBA.com.
| Area | Defended Field Goal Percentage | Normal Field Goal Percentage (Differential) |
| Overall | 43 | 46.8 (-3.7) |
| Less than Six Feet | 51.7 | 58.4 (-6.6) |
| Less than 10 Feet | 44.7 | 53.8 (-9.1) |
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Perkins is posting a respectable defensive rating of 103. He has a defensive plus/minus of 1.9, which is better than marquee defenders like Ibaka (1.5) and Howard (1.5).
Of course, there's also this, from Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, that speaks to how valuable Perkins' defense is to the Thunder:
"The Thunder plays better defense when Perk is on the floor — that’s just not hyperbole; that’s factual — and not surprisingly, the Thunder also wins more games with him on the floor."
To Carlson's point, Oklahoma City is allowing 103 points per 100 possessions with Perkins on the court. When he's on the bench, that number rises to 105.8, per 82games.com. By comparison, the club allows 104.8 points with Adams on the floor, compared to 104.6 with him off of it.
Furthermore, Perkins improves the defense of the other guys on the floor by making sure they are doing what they're supposed to.
"They know I'm gonna hold 'em accountable from top-to-bottom. I expect the same when I’m not doing something right, Perkins said, per Carlson. "That’s just a thing I try to bring."
Perkins' role as OKC's version of E.F. Hutton is enhanced by the championship ring on his finger, something nobody else on the team can claim. His wisdom is crucial to a team filled with younger players. You can't just replace that with someone like Lopez or McGee.
Also, while there are plenty of reasons why this year is different from others, it is worth noting the Thunder won at least 71 percent of their games in each of the last three seasons with Perkins holding down the fort as the starting center.
That's not to say Perkins should stay with the first string when Adams comes back, but it's a testament to how his presence has contributed to the franchise's success.
In a "What have you done for me lately?" basketball world, it's easy to underestimate Kendrick Perkins' worth to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On the surface, he's an aging center who doesn't put a ton of numbers on the board.
However, Perkins' value goes deeper than the stat sheet.
His ability to hold his own one-on-one against some of the best interior scorers in the league takes a lot of defensive pressure off of his teammates. His experience and leadership has been key to the development of Steven Adams.
With Adams on the sidelines, it's time for Perkins to show the world why he's more than just a trade chip.
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