Celts Get Jeff Green
VIDEO PLAYLIST 
- Celts Get Jeff Green
Celts Get Jeff Green
- Are Thunder Contenders In West?
Are Thunder Contenders In West?
- Trade Deadline Winners And Losers
Trade Deadline Winners And Losers
Just before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, the Boston Celtics agreed to ship center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forward Jeff Green and big man Nenad Krstic in a deal the NBA approved about five hours later.
Neither team was done, though.
The Celtics also traded rookie center Semih Erden and forward Luke Harangody to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 2013 second-round draft pick. The Cavaliers waived veteran forward Leon Powe to make roster room after also trading away Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for the Clippers' Baron Davis in a separate move.
While the Celtics were unloading big men, the Thunder acquired another one, sending Morris Peterson and D.J. White to Charlotte for center Nazr Mohammed, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.
Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Wednesday that Perkins is out at least a week after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He missed 43 games this season recovering from right knee surgery.
Robinson tweeted reaction to the deal: "All I can say is wowzers -- Will miss all my Boston fans I love y'all, u guys showed me love."
It's a homecoming of sorts for Green. He was selected by the Celtics in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2007 draft. But he was traded with Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the then Seattle SuperSonics for Ray Allen and Glen Davis.
The Celtics' pursuit of a slashing-type player intensified when it became apparent that Marquis Daniels might miss the rest of the season with a spinal injury. Daniels himself will be rehabbing in Sacramento. The Celtics traded him and cash considerations to the Kings on Thursday for a protected second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie announced.
Daniels appeared in 49 games for the Celtics this season. He is averaging 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds. He has been out since bruising his spinal cord on Feb. 6 against Orlando.
Green is averaging 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds this season as the third option for the Thunder behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In his three-year career, he has averaged 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
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On his Twitter account, Durant said: "Tough day for me and my teammates ... good luck to jeff green, nenad krstic."
The deal gives the Thunder the big man that they've been looking for all season. Perkins has played in just 12 games this season, but the Thunder have felt for a while that they need a veteran big man to truly compete with the Spurs, Mavs and Lakers in the West.
The deal also gives the Thunder something for Green, who becomes a restricted free agent this summer. Green had rejected a contract extension offer from the Thunder earlier this season.
For the Celtics, they take a big risk that their big men -- who are now Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Krstic -- can lead them. But with Jermaine O'Neal out until April after knee surgery and Shaquille O'Neal currently out with an Achilles injury, these are interesting trades for a Celtics team trying to win a championship. Krstic is an offensive talent down low, but isn't known as a rebounder or a tough defender. He is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
To shore up their front line, the Celtics signed center Chris Johnson to a 10-day contract Thursday. Johnson was averaging 16.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game for the D-League's Dakota Wizards and also played briefly with the Trail Blazers earlier this season.
Green is a young talent who can play both the 3 and the 4 and could be part of a longer rebuilding strategy.
Erden and Harangody are both rookies and were moved, in part, for the Celtics to open roster spots. The Celtics may be making room to sign potential free agents who may be bought out of their contracts, league sources told ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.
Erden is averaging 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 37 games and has been bothered by several injuries. He is planning to have shoulder surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in the offseason. Harangody has averaged 2.3 points and 2 rebounds in 28 games.
The draft pick going to Boston is the Timberwolves' 2013 second-round pick that the Cavs acquired last summer as a part of a trade for Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins.
Robinson is averaging 7.1 points in 17.9 minutes per game this season.
Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN.com. Chad Ford is the ESPN NBA Insider. Information from ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst and ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg was used in this report.
Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=6155082&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
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