But after Rondo was dealt Thursday to the Dallas Mavericks, Perkins said leaving Boston was his former teammate’s desire all along.
“He wanted out, but he would never say that though,” Perkins told Yahoo! Sports on Friday.
As Perkins — whom the Celtics traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011 — saw it, the relationship between Rondo and the C’s had reached the end of the line.
“Going to nice weather, a contender,” Perkins said. “Hopefully, he will do what he got to do in terms of his contract extension. It’s a great opportunity. I’m happy for him. I’m not happy he is in the West, but I’m happy for him. His time was probably up in Boston. He did his due.
“He was cool, happy. He was excited. He’s going to a contender. He’s 29 (Rondo actually doesn’t turn 29 until February), so rebuilding is out of the question now.”
Perkins won’t have to wait long to square off against his old mate. The Thunder visit the Mavs on Dec. 28.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
