Kenrick Perkins talks James Harden trade, KD-Russ relationship on JJ Redick’s podcast

“I thought who’s the most selfish guy in the world. I really did. Like I wrote James a big ass text message, like a long ass message, and I just went off I was like, ‘bro you selfish as hell like man, we got a chance to do some special like lose my number m—–f—–.’ I’m cussing him out and everything. He responded and said, ‘it’s all good man. I got a lot to worry about right now. I got to carry this team.’ That was his response, but I was hurt because I didn’t want it to like — at that point already knew I’m not making any All-Star games — I’m a role player and I already had accepted my role. And so when James left, I didn’t understand it at the moment because I was thinking about myself and trying to win more championships. This young man was nothing but 23 years old. Trying to go accomplish making the All-Star game, trying to go get $100 million with his contract, trying to go make $100 to $250+ (million) with his shoe money. And here I was being selfish, not thinking that he had individual goals and s–t that he wanted to accomplish and I should have been supporting that.”

“What happened was Sam Presti actually gave him until 12 o’clock. I remember — it was like a Wednesday. He was like, ‘you got until 12 o’clock to sign this.’ I believe it was like the $64 million extension… James was like, ‘I want the max.'”

“But what ended up happening was when James, KD and Russ all went to the Olympics, and they won a gold medal, everybody like LeBron, DWade, Carmelo was gassing up James saying, ‘you need your own team.’ And they weren’t gassing him — they were right. He actually did need his own team. But at the same time, they was trying to break the Oklahoma City Thunder up so they could win more titles.”

“It was all about KD and Russ. It was about their relationship, their continuity wasn’t there. No matter how much they tried to fake it to the public, their brotherhood, it never was a brotherhood. And that’s okay because you don’t have to be somebody’s brother to go out there and try to win a championship but it helps. But they never just got on the same page. And it was the most difficult situation I’ve ever been in — coming from a Celtic team that was so close.

When I got to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was so separated. You had Eric Maynor, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Daequan Cook — they had their little clique and they kicked it with each other and then you just had KD by himself. He didn’t even hang with them. And so I started to see it and I’m like, ‘hold on, we can’t win like this.’ Not to where we tried to go. I started noticing that when we went on the road, I’m thinking, ‘are we gonna have team dinner together?’ We didn’t have that. KD was going in his own direction — some of his boys will fly down along with his brother. They will do their own thing. And then these young guys, so I’m like, ‘hold up I got to come in the middle of this.’

It was to the point where their families wouldn’t speak and I’m like, ‘hold on, we got to change this environment.’ I started forcing it. I would put those two guys — KD and Russ — in a group message and I’m like, ‘f— it, I’m gonna start off by talking football.’ KD was a (Commanders) fan. Russ is a Cowboys fan. I’m a Cowboys fan. Let me start talking s—. Made them start interacting with each other. And I’m like, ‘you know what, let me have a card game in my house.’ Sent everybody on the team in a group message, ‘hey, look, be at my house at 7 o’clock to go play cards. No more bringing your family members. We gonna kick it with each other. Going to dinner at six o’clock. We will come back and watch these games on TNT. We gonna play cards.’

I had to start forcing it for them to f— with each other. But they never really f—ed with each other. They did it just because but it wasn’t authentic. And I think that’s where KD and Russ gonna look down the line and say, ‘you know what? We really had some special but we didn’t embrace it.’ And that’s gonna be a sad thought.”