Jerry West Agrees to 2-Year Extension with Warriors: Latest Details and Reaction
In the aftermath of Mark Jackson's firing, numerous reports surfaced highlighting a tense relationship between the then-Golden State Warriors head coach and team executive Jerry West. The Warriors further solidified their siding with West on Wednesday, agreeing to a two-year extension that runs through the 2016-17 season.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News first reported the deal. West, 76, was nearing the end of the original three-year contract he signed in 2011. The Hall of Fame guard is officially considered a consultant to owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers, but it's widely known his role is much deeper than someone who typically holds that position. (West is also a minority owner of the franchise.)
As Kawakami notes, West and new head coach Steve Kerr were at the forefront of an internal push to hold Klay Thompson from any potential Kevin Love trade. The Warriors front office was reportedly split on the potential move, with West and Kerr desiring to keep Thompson's two-way skills as a complement to Stephen Curry. Others in the organization viewed him as expendable in a deal for Love, one of the half-dozen best basketball players on the planet.
"For us to have two young players back there who like each other, very cohesive and more importantly are going to we think get better and get better together, even though you want to add a quality player, we've got a real quality backcourt," West said in July, per Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. "It's hard to get rid of something that's really good."
West and Kerr ultimately won out. Love was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August in a package centered around 2013 and 2014 No. 1 picks Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins.
Thompson, who is currently with Curry as part of Team USA's World Cup team, is nonetheless miffed at the organization, per Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher. It's very likely the Warriors will have to soothe that wound over with a flashy new contract before the Halloween deadline—possibly up to the five-year max.
West, while best known for his playing days as a Laker and having his silhouette serve as the NBA's logo, is also one of the best executives in basketball history. He has won six championships as an executive—all with the Lakers—and shares a ton of credit for the team's "Showtime" era. He was named the NBA Executive of the Year two times, most recently in 2004.
In addition to his work in Los Angeles, West was also the Memphis Grizzlies' general manager from 2002 to 2007. While he's largely stayed out of the spotlight since returning from his retirement three years ago, West's voice has lent credence to a once-floundering organization.
The Warriors, who made the playoffs once from 1994-95 to 2011-12, have gone to the postseason each of the last two years. It's hard to tell where West's influence begins and where the buck stops with Myers, one of the NBA's better executives in his own right.
But with Myers and West both signed to long-term extensions, the powers in charge of the Golden State renaissance are in place for the foreseeable future. Let's see if their plan to keep the core intact works.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
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