Kendrick Perkins Signs Contract Extension With Thunder

By KC Downey in Celtics, Featured ⋅ March 1, 2011 at 12:02pm ⋅ Post a comment

Kendrick Perkins (Image from newsok.com)

For those of you hoping center Kendrick Perkins would return to the Celtics via free agency this summer, your hopes are now dashed. The Thunder have reportedly reached agreement with Perk on a 4-year, $34.8 million contract extension beyond this season.

“We had a unique opportunity to enter into discussions with Kendrick to solidify his future with our organization,” general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “We are pleased to know that he will be a part of our core group now and in the future. Kendrick’s blue-collar, team-first approach aligns with the vision we hold for building a sustainable team in the Oklahoma City community.”

Perk has yet to play a game with the Thunder, but clearly the team is not concerned with his surgically repaired knee, or his other bruised knee, which will keep him out of action for the next two weeks.

This season, Perk has averaged 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 12 games. Miami and New York were rumored to have interest in Perk’s services, but it looks like the big man will be spending the next few years out west.

The Celtics had originally offered a four-year, $22 million extension to Perk, the maximum they could offer as the team is currently under the cap. Perk declined, opting to test the market in free agency. He didn’t expect it’d be one of the big reasons he would get traded.