Getty Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Longtime Los Angeles Lakers rival, Kendrick Perkins, shared some illuminating information on the most recent episode of the “Maybe I’m Crazy” podcast. Having spent time in New Orleans under the reign of Dell Demps, Perkins went out of his way to bash Demps for running the worst organization he was ever a part of. More than just trashing Demps, Perkins alluded to the fact that the Pelicans’ exiled former GM was likely the one to blame for the leaks.
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Kendrick Perkins Exposes Dell Demps For Anthony Davis Laker Trade Leaks
“I’ve only been a part of four [organizations]. Boston was great. OKC was absolutely great, I mean from top to bottom. Cleveland was good, especially Griff, who the Pelicans just got – he ran that organization at a high level. Now the Pelicans that was run by Dell Demps? I hated it. I hated it because Dell Demps is a liar. I’d rather you keep it straightforward and you know, I never wish bad on anybody but that was one guy where it made my day for him to get fired.”
Shortly after ripping into Demps for the way he ran the Pelicans, Perkins and both members of the “Maybe I’m Crazy” podcast alluded to the fact that it seemed much more likely that the Anthony Davis trade leaks came from Demps as opposed to from Rich Paul and LeBron James.
This drastically changes the narrative that has been spun in the media so far, where Paul, James, and Magic were made out to be angry children who went stomping their feet to the media when the Pelicans refused to work with them on a suitable offer. With the new information that has been coming out recently, it seems much more likely that Dell Demps was pulling the strings behind the entire saga and was the front office leak.
How Does This Impact the Los Angeles Lakers Chances At Trading for Anthony Davis?
If anything, this is a huge boost to the Lakers’ push for Davis. If Perkins is telling the truth here, the entire narrative of the Lakers being a poor trade partner for the Pelicans is untrue and the biggest obstacle to the deal in New Orleans is gone. While the Celtics can still put together a better package with their assets and picks, it is unknown just how much of that they are willing to part with, especially with Kyrie Irving possibly on the way out.
This puts the Lakers in a prime position to contend for Davis and if they aren’t actively the top suitor, they should be nipping right at the heels of the Boston Celtics.
Kendrick Perkins Making the Jump to Coaching?
Kendrick Perkins was notably present at the NBA Draft Combine, coaching up young prospects and NBA hopefuls. The 14 year NBA vet and world champion has a wealth of knowledge to pass along to the younger generation. Perk has the pleasure of cutting his teeth under some of the greatest basketball players to ever lace them up in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
Known as the heart and soul of those “big 3” Celtics teams, Perkins was the type of player who could have a major impact on the game without showing up in the stat sheet. While Perkins has an incredible basketball IQ, sometimes players can be a bit too smart for their own good and that IQ doesn’t translate over to the coaching side. However, it should be interesting to see how Perkins develops as a coach given that he checks all the boxes in terms of things you would want from a head coach.