There was talk that the Oklahoma City Thunder would use their amnesty clause on center Kendrick Perkins, who more than disappointed in the team's NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat. The Los Angeles Lakers' trade for Dwight Howard probably changes those plans.
While Perkins is limited offensively and doesn't seem to fit in with the Thunder's up-tempo style, every contending team in the Western Conference suddenly finds itself in need of a defensive presence in the post, and few fit the bill better than Perkins.
The Lakers have emerged as the darling favorites in the West, but Oklahoma City doesn't plan to go away anytime soon. While it would have made sense to ship out Perkins before, the prospect of facing Howard and the Lakers in the playoffs suddenly makes the prospect of keeping Perkins around much more attractive.
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