Kendrick Perkins would ‘absolutely' consider Celtics assistant coach role

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Kendrick Perkins' window to return to the Boston Celtics as a player has essentially closed. But what if he joins the team that drafted him as a coach?

The Celtics have an open assistant coach position vacated by Micah Shrewsberry, who left for Purdue earlier this month. In an interview Thursday on "The Danny Picard Show", Perkins was asked if he'd be interested in filling that vacancy. 

"Absolutely. There’s certain things you can’t turn down, and that’s one of them," Perkins told host Danny Picard.

The former NBA center, who spent his first eight NBA seasons with the Celtics, said in 2017 he'd "love to coach" after he finished playing and considered joining the Cleveland Cavaliers' coaching staff that year before signing on as a player.

Perkins confirmed last October he spoke to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge about ending his playing career in Boston. A deal never materialized, though, and there are no signs the Celtics -- who reportedly interviewed J.B. Bickerstaff for the assistant coach opening Wednesday -- have spoken to Perkins about a coaching gig.

But Perkins is putting in the work coaching up draft prospects at the NBA Scouting Combine, and if an opportunity arises to coach in Boston, it sounds like he'd jump on it.

"I mean, you'd have no choice but to accept a job like that, man," he added.

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