One of the most controversial trades that Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has made during his long tenure with the franchise was sending Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and a 2012 first-round pick during the 2010-11 season.
Perkins was a popular player and filled his role well as a solid rebounder and quality interior defender. He also was well-liked by his teammates and started at center for much of his career in Boston, including the team's 2008 NBA championship season.
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The trade ultimately didn't work out for Boston. They were unable to return to the NBA Finals after trading Perkins, despite coming close during the 2011-12 season when they lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to LeBron James' Miami Heat.
Ainge joined "Celtics Pregame Live" before Friday night's win over the Milwaukee Bucks and got a little emotional discussing the Perkins trade and how tough of a decision it was to make that move.
"Perk was like a child I raised. He was so fun and we had a close bond," Ainge explained. "It was one of the most difficult trades I ever made in my career. That was very hard."
Perkins also was included in this segment and responded to Ainge's comments by explaining how close he was to the C's exec during his time in Boston and how that special relationship helped him beyond basketball.
Check out Perkins' remarks in the video below: