Jeff Green For Kendrick Perkins: The Trade Revisited

The Then

Yesterday, the Boston Celtics failed to end the Miami Heat's 22 game winning streak, falling to them 105-103.  They were up by as much as 17 points, but couldn't stop Lebron James, who had a dominant game with 37 points/7 rebounds/12 assists/2 steals/2 blocks, and a thunderous dunk over Jason Terry.  Not lost from the game though, was Jeff Green, the soft spoken Celtics bench player, who had 43 points/7 rebounds/2 assists/2 steals/4 blocks.  The game was Jeff Green's best game of his career, and something we Celtics fans have been waiting to see since Danny Ainge pulled the Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green trade three seasons ago.  At the time of the trade, Celtics fans thought it was a huge mistake, but now, they are still beginning to reap the rewards.  Was the trade still bad, even with things the way they are now?  I say no.

The Celtics trade with the Thunder wasn't terrible for various reasons.  First of all, they were building for the future, which is a must in the NBA with young teams and superstars like Lebron James or Carmelo Anthony.  Yes, the Celtics had The Big Three at the time, but their team was old that year.  Jeff Green gave them the scoring and youth they lacked so much.  Secondly, Kendrick Perkins had no value that year.  He got a few rebounds, and gave defensive toughness, but he was injured for most of the year, and he wanted money that he didn't deserve.  The Oklahoma City Thunder benefited with him one year, but they still haven't won a title with him, and he does next to nothing.

I'm not saying that the trade had no ramifications because it did, but in the long run, the Celtics won that trade.  They got Jeff Green, a younger player with much more upside.  Sure, they had to overpay him on his contract extension, and he had open heart surgery, but that just made him stronger/better.  Kendrick Perkins on the other hand is doing nothing for the Thunder now besides taking money.  He was so bad at one point that the Thunder were thinking of amnestying him because he wasn't worth the money he got.  Because of his contract, that made the Thunder unable to keep James Harden, so they traded him.  All the naysayers can say the Celtics made a bad trade, but at the end of the day, they added someone better, while the Thunder lost someone better.  And while Kendrick Perkins can't/won't improve, Jeff Green can and will.

The Now