OKC Thunder's Presti speaks on trade for Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Nazr Mohammed

The Thunder traded forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic to the Celtics in exchange for Perkins and guard Nate Robinson.

In a separate deal, the Thunder traded shooting guard Morris Peterson and forward D.J. White to Charlotte in exchange for center Nazr Mohammed.

A member of the 2008 NBA championship team, the 6-foot-10, 280-pound Perkins is in his eighth NBA season, but is just 26 years old. Perkins and Mohammed, also 6-foot-10, give the Thunder a much-needed inside presence.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti said acquiring Perkins is not a quick-fix move. "That's not how I think," Presti said. "It was more of, 'We love Perkins. We want to get him in the program. We want to keep him in the program.' He is so in our DNA."

Presti insists Thursday was simply another day in a three-year process that has successfully interwoven draft picks with carefully-constructed trades.

"This is not a 'win-now' move," Presti said. "This is not, 'Let's go for it.' This is us methodically continuing to put pieces in place that we think can help us now and in the future. We traded for Perkins with the intent that he'll be here for a while."

Presti said he is not concerned with Perkins' health. "No, he'll be fine," Presti said. "We've reviewed all the medical records. He may miss a few games and we'll be cautious with him. We're looking both short-term and long-term here."

Though excited about his new players, Presti also acknowledged the difficulty of trading Green.

"Jeff Green is like my son. I love that kid," Presti said. "This is by far the toughest decision I've ever had to make since I started this job."

"This team just got a heck of a lot tougher," Presti said.