Kendrick Perkins has talked to Danny Ainge about finishing career with Celtics
In Boston for a ceremony honoring Celtics legend Paul Pierce, free agent center Kendrick Perkins, waived by the Cavaliers over the summer after having played just one game for Cleveland last season, has decided that the 2018-19 season will be his last.
Weighing his options with the hopes of latching on with a team in January for a stretch run (similar to what P.J. Brown did with the Celtics in 2008). the 34-year-old Perkins has an apparent interest in finishing his career with the Boston Celtics.
In fact, Perkins has already discussed exactly that with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
Kendrick Perkins said he hopes to latch on with another team sometime in January. Said he has talked with Ainge about possibly finishing his career with the #Celtics, adding that this will be his last season.
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) November 28, 2018
The 6-foot-10 Perkins appeared in one game for the Cavaliers last season, and has played just 38 NBA games since the start of the 2015 season. But he certainly fits the bill as a veteran leader (Perkins won a title with the Celtics in 2008) and mentor that the C’s could use to provide a morale boost when things get tough or their young core needs postseason pointers.
This is something that Kyrie Irving subtly mentioned as a potential need for the Celtics earlier this season.
Perkins has experience with Irving, too, as he part of the Cleveland squad that went to the NBA Finals in 2015.
A journeyman (all over the country and in different leagues, even) over the last few years, Perkins is largely remembered for his eight-year run with the Celtics from 2003 to 2010, and was the team’s starting center in the 2008 NBA Finals.
