In a trade deadline shocker, the Boston Celtics traded away starting center and defensive force, Kendrick Perkins. The Celtics sent Perkins along with struggling guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

The loss of Kendrick Perkins leaves major concerns as to how the Celtics will be able to match up against the Lakers, Spurs, or Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Celtics are said to be interested in signing Troy Murphy, if his contract is bought out by the Golden State Warriors. There is even some speculation that the Celtics will try to convince Rasheed Wallace to come out of retirement, and help the squad make one more run at a title. I personally feel that the loss of Perkins is huge, and may cost them down the line. This deal has left many Boston fans feeling green!

All is not lost in this deal, as the Celtics got a very good player in Jeff Green in return. The Celtics had originally drafted Green 5th overall in the 2007 draft, but was soon dealt as part of a trade that brought Ray Allen to Boston. This season with the Thunder Green averaged 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. Green will provide points off the bench and allow Paul Pierce to play less minutes.

The major positive of the deal is that the C’s were able to cut their ties with the useless Nate Robinson. Nate, a natural scorer was never able to run the offense and be an effective backup point guard. With the Thunder already having two point guards, Nate will be able to play off the ball and not have to worry about running the offense. The Green Team also acquired veteran center Nenad Krstic in the deal. Krstic is a good shooter for his size, but that is about it.

In separate deals, the Celts sent rookies Semih Erden and Luke Harangody, as well as Marquis Daniels packing. Erden and Harangody were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a future 2nd round pick. Daniels was traded to Sacramento for cash considerations.