The Oklahoma City Thunder's starting lineup that includes a pair of 22-year-old All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook added another potential 20-something All-Star in Boston center Kendrick Perkins on Thursday.
Oklahoma City's Jeff Green reacts to the Thunder's loss in final minutes of the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma CIty Thunder and Utah Jazz in the Oklahoma City Arena on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Players the Thunder gave up in trades
02/24/2011 JEFF GREEN Position: Small forward/power forward Years pro: Three Career stats: 14.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 spg What the Thunder lost: A glue guy,...
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The Thunder traded forward Jeff Green, center Nenad Krstic and the Los Angeles Clippers' 2012 first-round pick to the Celtics in exchange for Perkins and guard Nate Robinson.
In a separate deal, the Thunder traded shooting guard Morris Peterson and forward D.J. White to Charlotte in exchange for center Nazr Mohammed.
A member of the 2008 NBA championship team, the 6-foot-10, 280-pound Perkins is in his eighth NBA season, but is just 26 years old. Perkins and Mohammed, also 6-foot-10, give the Thunder a much-needed inside presence.
The exact arrival of the new players is not known, though it is extremely doubtful the deal will be finalized in time for any to play in the Thunder's Friday night game at Orlando. The Thunder hosts the Los Angeles Lakers at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Perkins is expected to miss at least one week with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He had surgery to his right knee last July to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Game 6 of last year's NBA Finals against the Lakers.
Green, who is averaging 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds this season, originally was drafted by Boston with the No. 5 overall pick in 2007.
In a deal orchestrated by then 30-year-old Seattle SuperSonics general manager Sam Presti, the Celtics traded Green's rights to the Sonics in exchange for shooting guard Ray Allen, who has since become the NBA's all-time 3-point leader. That trade also included Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and a 2008 second-round pick from Boston, plus second-round pick Glen Davis from the Sonics.
Now in the final stages of his rookie contract and after failing to agree to an extension offer earlier this season, Green becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Perkins' expiring contract pays him $4,390,208 this season.
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