Does Kendrick Perkins Know Something We Don’t About Giannis Antetokounmpo?

The Milwaukee Bucks seem to be doing everything in their power to keep their superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo. And why wouldn’t they? The Greek Freak is coming off consecutive MVP seasons and is clearly their centerpiece for contending for an NBA title. The Bucks are starting to add certain pieces via trade to help satisfy Antetokounmpo. After what’s happened this week, former NBA player and current analyst Kendrick Perkins could sit back and fire off an I-told-you-so.

Kendrick Perkins was a former No. 1 draft pick

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When you think of the 2003 NBA draft, Kendrick Perkins doesn’t come to mind. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade usually jump out. Perkins, however, was taken in the first round when the Memphis Grizzlies took the 6-foot-10 big man right out of high school.

The Grizzlies immediately traded Perkins and their other first-rounder, Marcus Banks (No. 13), to the Boston Celtics for the two picks they had selected in the first round. The Celtics had taken Troy Bell (No. 16) and Dahntay Jones (No. 20). Perkins outlasted them all, playing 14 seasons in the NBA.

Perkins spent the first seven-plus seasons of his NBA career with the Celtics. He was traded during the 2010-11 season when the Celtics shipped him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal for Jeff Green. Perkins had his best year in his final full year with the Celtics. During the 2009-2010 season, Perkins averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game and added 7.6 rebounds. For his career, he averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to satisfy Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo has secured consecutive MVP awards and has certainly established himself as one of the NBA’s top players. With one year left on his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, the team is hoping to convince him to stay and not hit free agency. They immediately went to work to make him happy.

The Bucks agreed to send veteran guards Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, along with three first-round draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans for guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday is known as a defensive specialist with some serious offensive numbers. A former NBA All-Defensive first-team selection, Holiday also knows how to score. He averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 assists per game.

The Bucks didn’t stop there. They also will be acquiring sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Sacramento Kings. In order to secure Bogdanovic, the Bucks gave up Dante DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova, and D.J. Wilson. It’s clear the Bucks are in win-now mode and are hoping to convince the Greek Freak to remain in Milwaukee.

Perkins predicted this two weeks ago

Jrue Holiday was rumored to be traded. The Boston Celtics appeared to be the favorite to land the New Orleans Pelicans guard. Boston owns four picks in the 2020 NBA draft, three in the first round. It was widely regarded that the Celtics would package those picks in a deal to try and acquire Holiday.

Back on Nov. 5, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins said the Milwaukee Bucks needed to find a way to get Holiday in a Bucks uniform. Perkins tweeted, “The @Bucks need to be trying to get Jrue Holiday by all means!!! Carry on…”

Sure enough, the Bucks found a way to snag Holiday, even if they had to overpay. Why Holiday? Why was Perkins adamant that the Bucks had to get him? What does he know? In any case, Perkins now believes Giannis Antetokounmpo will soon be signing the supermax deal with the Bucks. “I’ll be expecting Giannis to sign the Super Max because the Bucks are handling their damn business right now,” he tweeted.

All statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference.