Tale of Two Sides: Recapping the Boston and Oklahoma City Trade
Today at 3 p.m. ET, the NBA Trade Deadline came and went.
One of the more surprising deals of the day was the one between the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal would send Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic, according to ESPN's Chad Ford.
After analyzing the trade, I've come to terms with two very important things stemming from this trade.
1. The Celtics made a trade to just make a trade.
2. The Thunder are gunning for the Lakers.
Now let me explain.
The Celtics were fine just the way they were pre-trade. In fact, giving up Kendrick Perkins may have made them worse in the sense of comparing them to the Heat. They still have their experience but became greatly depleted on the front line. It just confuses me, because wasn't that what the Celtics had as their premier advantage over Miami? Couple that with a later trade sending Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to the Cavaliers, and the Celtics are left to rely on the O'Neals—Jermaine and Shaquille.
I guess the simplest way to describe the Celtics activity on the final day of trading eligibility is: confusing.
On the other hand, the Thunder might have been the day's winners. They added two good players in Perkins and Robinson, both of who will step in immediately and produce.
The Thunder are currently fourth in the Western Conference at 36-20 and sit atop the Northwest Division.
While the Spurs have the best record in the NBA, the Lakers are still the defending world championships, and according to precedent, are still the best team in the world. Therefore, I say the Thunder are making moves to chase the Lakers.
When Kendrick Perkins becomes 100 percent healthy (which I believe he is close), the Thunder will be one of the most dangerous teams in all of the NBA. They are a young nucleus of talent that will cause trouble for any team it faces.
While on one hand, the Celtics may have surrendered their spot upon the top of the Eastern Conference, the Thunder may have improved upon their title of best young team in the NBA.
