Kendrick Perkins had a few swings-and-misses in his NBA Draft coverage on Wednesday.
The NBA center-turned ESPN personality, who's no stranger to criticism from fans over his basketball analysis, stole the attention during the first round of the draft for the wrong reasons — Perkins was mistaken in multiple ways when Walter Clayton Jr. came off the board at No. 18.
Not only did Perkins fail to realize the fact that the pick was reportedly on the move already, but he also forgot that a key member of the Wizards was traded earlier this week.
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Here's why Perkins was roasted by NBA fans for his mistaken draft analysis on Clayton Jr.
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Kendrick Perkins roasted for analysis of Walter Clayton Jr. pick
Clayton Jr. was one of the breakout stars from the 2025 NCAA Tournament, helping lead Florida to the title with his shot-making skills. The fact that he was a first-round selection on Wednesday wasn't much of a surprise, as he's expected to become a strong scorer in the backcourt as he transitions to the NBA.
But before the Wizards came up with their No. 18 overall selection, ESPN insider Shams Charania joined the broadcast, reporting that the pick was on the move. Charania posted the details of a deal between Washington and Utah on X, but he also spoke on the trade live on ESPN's draft show.
Washington is trading Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18 to Utah, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 26, 2025
The deal reportedly sent Clayton Jr. to the Jazz, with the Wizards getting pick No. 21 and future second-rounders back, per Charania. But when it came to ESPN's analysis, Perkins seemed to miss the memo.
After Clayton Jr. was announced as the pick, Perkins began analyzing the selection as if he was heading to the Wizards despite Charania just saying on the broadcast that he was going to Utah. But that wasn't the only issue.
Perkins also spoke about how Clayton Jr. would have a great opportunity to secure minutes alongside Jordan Poole, the former NBA champion guard who has spent the past two seasons in Washington. The problem? Even if Clayton Jr. was going to D.C., Poole wouldn't be there. He was reportedly traded to the Pelicans earlier this week, per Charania.
The New Orleans Pelicans are trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025
Not only did Perkins fail to analyze the correct team that Clayton Jr. was heading to, but he also spoke on a hypothetical guard rotation in Washington with Poole that does not exist. Perhaps the former center and NBA champion needs Charania to catch him up on the latest NBA trades.
Of course, NBA fans didn't appreciate Perkins' rough analysis of the No. 18 pick.
Kendrick Perkins:
— Micah Adams (@MAdamsStatGuy) June 26, 2025
- Didn’t know Clayton wasn’t going to the Wizards
- Didn’t know Jordan Poole is no longer on the Wizards
Great analysis. 🚮
ESPN just said Clayton was drafted by the Wizards then Kendrick Perkins started talking about fitting in at Utah then a graphic came up that said Clayton was traded to Utah then he was interviewed with a Wizards cap as a member of the Wizards with no mention of a trade.
— Mike Meech (@meechone) June 26, 2025
Kendrick Perkins talking about him playing for the wizards like two minutes after shams announced this move on the broadcast, just not even paying attention at all lol https://t.co/2FKlxjgxfS
— Kevin Luo (@KevinTalksBall) June 26, 2025
@ShamsCharania didn’t Kendrick Perkins just hear that the #Wizards pick is on the move to the #riyadh Jazz? And he’s talking about Walter Clayton replacing Jordan Poole? 😐 This broadcast has been horrible! #ESPN #NBADraft
— Richard Washington III (@RW3TV) June 26, 2025
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