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In the coming days, Kendrick Perkins will be cut by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are already maxed out on guaranteed contracts and Perkins is going to be an odd man out.
Perkins does want to continue his career. But it he can’t find another home, he could cone back to the Cavs as a coach. And he and Cavs coach Tyronn Lue have already talked about it.
“We've already talked about that," Lue said after Friday’s Cavs-Magic game, per cleveland.com. “I think Perk was great because he holds everybody accountable. He plays the right way, tries to do the right thing every single day.”
“You need a guy like that around. A guy who's going to be the right person for the team, not worrying about himself, not being caught up in all his own personal things and will help the team out in any way he can.”
As for Perkins, he said he “definitely” wants to coach when his careers ends, per cleveland.com.
“I definitely want to coach when I hang them up," Perkins said. “Right now my mind is on trying to play. Not only can I be a voice in the locker room, but I feel I can go out and contribute 8-to-12 minutes a night.”
“But me and Lue go way back and that's definitely something I'll take under consideration.”
If Perkins does end up as a Cavs coach, it would fit a trend among the Cavs’ coaches. Lue, Damon Jones, James Posey and Vitaly Potapenko all played in the NBA. And Perkins does have connections to the Cavs, having played with them during the 2014-15 playoffs. He could fill a role as an important voice in the locker room, even if he isn’t wearing a jersey.