Celtics send Kendrick Perkins to Thunder

It wasn’t the biggest deal before the NBA’s trading deadline Thursday, but the Boston Celtics got a little smaller and the Oklahoma City could loom larger.

According to multiple reports, the Thunder sent forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic to Boston for center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson.

Perkins gives the Thunder a quality banger to team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. After missing the season’s first 43 games following right knee surgery, Perkins has returned to average 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 12 games.

He injured his left knee Tuesday and is likely to be sidelined for a week.

“It’s a difficult time when you see one of your good friends and teammates go,” Boston’s Paul Pierce told reporters Thursday morning.

Robinson is averaging 7.1 points and 1.9 assists in 17.9 minutes through 55 games this season, providing a stable backup to Rajon Rondo.

Green should give the Celtics another quality scorer to team with Ray Allen and Pierce. The fourth-year man was averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists through 49 games for Oklahoma City. Krstic, a 7-footer, is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.

The Celtics were busy before the deadline, sending swingman Marquis Daniels and cash considerations to Sacramento for a second-round draft pick in 2017, and dealing rookie forward Luke Harangody and rookie center Semih Erden to Cleveland for a second-round pick in 2013. Daniels might be out for the season because of a spinal injury.

The Thunder also traded forward D.J. White and the expiring contract of guard Morris Peterson to Charlotte for the expiring contract of center Nazr Mohammed.

Rockets’ deals

The Houston Rockets sent point guard Aaron Brooks to Phoenix and forward Shane Battier to Memphis in separate deals that brought guard Goran Dragic and center Hasheem Thabeet to Houston.

The Rockets also get first-round draft picks from both teams and shipped rookie guard Ish Smith to the Grizzlies. Neither the Rockets nor the Grizzlies immediately confirmed the deals, but Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley told the Associated Press that they swapped potential for a chance to reach the playoffs this season.

“It is important to us that we make the playoffs, that we do go to the playoffs,” Heisley said. “Quite bluntly, we think that Shane at this point in time would be more productive in the short run.”

Memphis is 32-27 and eighth in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies have not been to the playoffs since 2006. They also tried to trade guard O.J. Mayo to Indiana in a deal that wasn’t concluded before the deadline.

Another trade

The Charlotte Bobcats agreed to trade forward Gerald Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers for a package that includes two first-round picks as owner Michael Jordan cuts payroll and eyes the future.

Coach Paul Silas confirmed the deal made just before the deadline would also give the Bobcats little-used center Joel Przybilla and reserve forward Dante Cunningham.

Wallace, averaging 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds, was the last original member of the expansion team and the franchise’s only All-Star.

Kings want more time

The Sacramento Kings asked the NBA for extra time beyond the March 1 deadline to consider applying for a move to another city next season, the league said Thursday.

On Saturday, NBA Commissioner David Stern confirmed that the Kings have had discussions about a possible move to Anaheim. If the Kings file a relocation request, it would take a majority vote by the 30 team owners to approve a move.

The NBA said the Kings want to wait until the league’s Board of Governors meeting April 14-15 to discuss any move. The league said it is “considering the Kings’ request.”