Written by Kurt Helin at NBCSports.com
Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins are tight. Perkins hasn’t been with the Thunder since the middle of last season, but the two still talk all the time.
Perkins plays for New Orleans now, a team that happened to be in Boston for a game yesterday. Because parts of the Boston fan base have become Durant obsessed they asked Perkins about him, and Perkins gave a fascinating answer, via Chris Forsberg of ESPN.
“As a friend, I try not to talk to him too much about free agency. I always try to just want to talk to him about things outside of basketball. We talk about personal life and stuff like that. And I know he’s getting this question every day on the hour and stuff like that, so I try not to bother him.
“But he did shoot some teams out there that he made me sign a confidentiality form that I couldn’t tell nobody. He’s got a few teams that he will be looking at.”
People who know Perkins understand that he tends to say some things with a win, like signing a confidentiality form. Multiple people confirmed there is no such paper. Not that they needed one — Durant trusts Perkins and likely said, “please don’t talk to anybody about this,” to which Perkins would have responded, “you didn’t have to ask.” They get each other.
One other interesting quote from Perkins, about if KD would leave Oklahoma City.
“[The Thunder] win it all, he can’t leave, in my opinion,” Perkins said. “But if they don’t, it might be time for a change.”
What should we take away from all this? Stuff we probably already knew, but consider this confirmation.
What should we take away from all this? Stuff we probably already knew, but consider this confirmation.
• How the Thunder do in the playoffs matters a lot. Reach the Finals, he stays. Get bounced in the second round by San Antonio and things are certainly more up in the air. What happens if the Thunder beat the Spurs but lose to the Warriors in six or seven games? This is not as simple as just “Finals or I’m gone” as some make it out to be.
• Of course Durant is thinking about free agency. How could he not? And he is bouncing ideas off friends, just like you and I do when we have to make a major life decision. You can be sure that KD’s inner circle (which is very tight) is doing its research on the franchises and the markets that will be in play.
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