Kendrick Perkins has never been one to hold his tongue. It’s caused a couple of feuds, especially as he enjoys a budding career as one of ESPN’s budding basketball analysts.
If there’s one thing Perkins is, though, it’s authentic, and he was his usual self in a wide-ranging interview he did with Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Perkins recounted his becoming aware that the Thunder wanted to reacquire him at the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline. He’d spent five seasons with the club before being sent to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade at the deadline in 2015.
One year later, in 2016, the big man had come to make his way to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he was teamed with Anthony Davis, among others. According to him, though, Sam Presti’s staff was interested in reacquiring him, presumably for what they hoped would be a deep playoff run.
The trade never happened, and Perkins believes history would have been much different if it had.
In case you need a reminder, the Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals only for the Warriors to blow a 3-1 series lead to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
LeBron James’ legacy was cemented, Kevin Durant left for the Warriors and Russell Westbrook became the league’s Most Valuable Player.
If you’re wondering how history may have been different had Perkins been sent back to the Thunder, he’s pretty confident that he could have prevented at least some of those events from happening.
In another reality, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook would have gotten another crack at LeBron James in the NBA Finals, because Perkins believes that with him in Oklahoma City — and particularly in the locker room — the Thunder wouldn’t have blown the 3-1 series lead.
Perkins said both the Cavs and Thunder tried to trade for him at the deadline, and were rebuffed. The Cavs won the title; the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the conference finals.
“If I was on Oklahoma City, we wouldn’t have blown that 3-1 lead,” Perkins insists. “There’s no way in hell we would have blown that. I’m not saying because of me playing, I am saying just my locker room presence. Then I think about it on the other hand — he cost me a championship.”
Truth be told, it’s a bold claim. In 2016, Perkins was 31 years old and was at the tail-end of his career, but whether he could have provided some motivation and/or insight that could have helped the team close out Golden State is an interesting thought. And that’s what he’s suggesting.
Obviously, it’s all water under the bridge at this point. But it certainly is an interesting “What if?”