The New Orleans Pelicans signed veteran center Kendrick Perkins to a one-year, veterans minimum deal to add depth to the no. 5 position and reportedly to have a mentor for budding star Anthony Davis.
New Orleans already re-signed big men Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca and the acquisition of Perkins will definitely add size and veteran leadership to their frontline.
Perkins entered the league as the 27<sup>th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2003 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Boston Celtics, with whom he thrived the most.
The 30-year-old athlete played his first eight NBA seasons with the Celtics and was a crucial part of the team's 2008 championship-winning season.
Perkins was the main center for that squad who won the franchise's 17<sup>th championship. The team then also featured the big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen with then up and coming point guard Rajon Rondo.
After a few more seasons with Boston, Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he was again part of the major rotation.
He was with the Thunder crew who made it to the NBA Finals in 2012 but lost to the Miami Heat.
Perkins stayed with Oklahoma City for almost five seasons until he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last February.
Cleveland did not really have a place for Perkins since they already had big men Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov, and Tristan Thompson.
Perkins only played in 17 games for the Cavs and averaged 2.6 points with 2.4 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.
He participated in eight playoff games for the Cavaliers last season averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.1 minutes of action per outing.
Perkins may not be as dominant as he was before or as productive but he is certainly a great addition for a young Pelicans squad with his experience, which he can impart to Davis who is coming off the greatest season of his NBA career.
