Best Potential Free-Agent Landing Spots for David West During 2015 Offseason
Thanks to David West, the NBA's crop of free agents just got a little bit stronger.
According to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Pacers veteran power forward David West will not exercise the $12.6 million player option of his contract, and will become a free agent this summer, a league source informed the Star on Wednesday."
The 34-year-old big man seemed to slow down as the 2014-15 season progressed, but he was also playing for a squad depleted by injuries. Though he averaged only 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists, he had an above-average player efficiency rating for the 10th season in a row and earned more win shares than all but two other members of the Indiana Pacers.
West is by no means washed up. He's not the vintage version of himself that bruised the chests of everyone he played against with his physical back-downs on offense, and he's not going to single-handedly change the level of play by a defense.
But he remains a fierce competitor with an intriguing set of skills, and that makes him a valuable commodity on the open market. The following teams would benefit quite a bit from adding him to the roster, given his ability to shore up some of their biggest weaknesses.
5. Sacramento Kings
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Is David West the perfect fit for the Sacramento Kings?
Not exactly, as he's not a true rim-protecting presence to pair with DeMarcus Cousins, and his range doesn't extend all the way out beyond the three-point arc. However, his veteran leadership and tough-nosed mentality would both be great for George Karl's squad, and his sweet shooting from mid-range zones would open things up on the interior for both Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins.
During the 2014-15 season, West knocked down 50.2 percent of his looks from between 16 feet and three-point territory, and that's a number made even more impressive once you realize a staggering 45.6 percent of his attempts from the field were lofted up in that zone. Though West, who will turn 35 years old this offseason, no longer bangs around on the blocks as much as he did in his prime, this is nothing new:
| 2010-11 | 24.9 | 49.0 |
| 2011-12 | 22.8 | 46.6 |
| 2012-13 | 23.4 | 47.4 |
| 2013-14 | 31.1 | 52.1 |
| 2014-15 | 45.6 | 50.2 |
Long mid-range jumpers aren't thought of in particularly positive fashion these days, but it's still necessary to have players on your squad who can knock them down. And right now, the Kings simply don't have many of them.
They're thoroughly middling, ranking No. 13 in field-goal percentage from the relevant zone and falling in at the same spot when looking at the percentage of their attempts that come from that area of the half-court set.
Adding a veteran who specializes there allows Cousins and Gay to seek out more efficient looks on the interior of the offense. And we still can't sell short the locker room impact that West could have in Sacramento.
Of course, this could all change rather quickly if the Kings trade Cousins.
4. New York Knicks
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"As Greg Monroe is a top choice for NY, I'm told, will be intrigue w/ David West," Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling tweeted after David West's decision to opt out was announced. "Tough leader NY needs, plays 4. Melo/West/Monroe frontline?"
Of course, this would also work if the New York Knicks signed Marc Gasol or managed to complete a trade for DeMarcus Cousins. Either way, West would be able to team up with Carmelo Anthony and a talented big man, giving head coach Derek Fisher plenty of options in his triangle offense. Granted, the young coach would need to adjust and let West spend time at the left elbow—his favorite spot on the floor—but that's certainly doable.
In the geometric system, bigs simply must be able to pass. They have to hit players making quick cuts to the hoop, and they have to keep the ball swinging around at all times. That's a skill that West possesses, even if it's flown under the radar for quite some time.
"His assists rose from 2.8 to 3.4, a career high. And in a season when ball movement seemed to be preached more than any other facet of the game, West was a willing distributor; his passes often leading to open looks for shooters like C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey," Pacers.com's Greg Rappaport wrote while reviewing West's season.
Digging deeper, West set a career high in assist percentage (20.1), and it was just the latest improvement in that facet of his game. From 2006-07 through 2008-09, he hovered just under 11 percent. Then he was between 12.7 and 13.7 for the next three seasons, one of which came with the Pacers. Now, he's submitted assist percentages of 16.8, 16.1 and 20.1 over his last three campaigns.
This is no fluke. West is legitimately a strong distributor, compensating for his age-related declines in physicality and athleticism with the finesse aspects of the sport. In fact, Blake Griffin, Joakim Noah, Josh Smith and DeMarcus Cousins were the only true big men who posted a higher assist percentage in 2014-15.
Is West the glamorous addition the Knicks fanbase seems to want? Probably not.
But glamor doesn't win basketball games.
3. Phoenix Suns
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The frontcourt is where the Phoenix Suns really struggled during this past campaign.
According to 82games.com, power forward and center were the only two positions where the desert-dwelling franchise failed to produce a positive impact:
| PG | 16.8 | 15.4 | 1.4 |
| SG | 16.0 | 13.6 | 2.4 |
| SF | 15.1 | 14.6 | 0.4 |
| PF | 14.5 | 14.5 | 0.0 |
| C | 15.2 | 20.0 | Minus-4.8 |
Obviously, center stands out. But that's to be expected, and further improvement from Alex Len, who was learning on the job for much of his sophomore season (his first healthy go-round), will help the position tremendously.
Power forward, however, remains a massive question mark.
If the Morris twins were guaranteed to be big contributors going forward, this would be different. But both Marcus and Markieff are tied up in a legal situation after being charged with felony assault, and there's no telling how their future with the team will pan out, regardless of the contract extension they signed last summer.
According to Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, the team is already looking into trades, though not necessarily for the legal reasons:
"Whether it's in a draft-night trade or later in the summer, sources say the Phoenix Suns have explored moving one of the Morris twins, Markieff or Marcus. The latter had a well-publicized shouting match with coach Jeff Hornacek in January, although Marcus later apologized and both quickly brushed it off.
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Even if they're still in town during the free-agency period, adding another 4 would be quite nice.
West would help boost the offense with his mid-range shooting, and it's not like he's declined to the point that he's a negative defender. In fact, his defensive box plus/minus, which shows the point differential per 100 possessions between him and a league-average player on an average team, was 2.4, and that's the No. 3 mark of his lengthy career. Only the two seasons just before it were better.
The days of West carrying a team are quite clearly over. But he'd fit in rather nicely with a young Phoenix squad looking to make the substantial leap from the lottery to the postseason in the tough Western Conference.
2. Indiana Pacers
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There's nothing preventing David West from returning to the Indiana Pacers.
Sure, he's opting out of his current contract, but he could very well be doing so to sign a longer deal before his advancing age would force the number on the bottom line down even further. After all, the power forward has served as the heart and soul of this organization ever since coming to town in 2011, and there's no reason to suspect any bitter feelings right now.
"It was a tough year, and you learn a lot about yourself in these type of situations," West explained right after this past season drew to a conclusion, per Pacers.com's Greg Rappaport. "We showed some resolve at times, showed the ability to fight through controversy and adversity. Ultimately came up short, but you can be proud of the way the guys stayed in the fight."
Already, there's reason to believe the future will be brighter.
Not only will West have the opportunity to relax over the offseason and get back into strong physical shape—his body seemed to break down during the stretch run—but the Pacers will have a full season from Paul George. Between the superstar's return and the improved play of George Hill, this squad could once again compete for a top spot in the Eastern Conference, just as it did only two years ago.
No bridges have been burned here.
1. Toronto Raptors
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"The Raps are listening to incoming offers on [Terrence] Ross, per several league sources, and a couple of power forwards on borderline playoff teams stand out as intriguing targets: David West and Kevin Garnett," Zach Lowe reported for Grantland.com just before the February trade deadline.
Obviously, nothing came to fruition, and the Toronto Raptors stuck it out with the same stable of 4s they'd been using throughout the season. But now, the situation has changed.
Indiana no longer has any control over West, so the Raptors and general manager Masai Ujiri could make a push for the power forward without sending away one of their top trade chips. Plus, Toronto basically doesn't have anyone currently filling the position. Tyler Hansbrough, Chuck Hayes and Amir Johnson are all free agents, which leaves Patrick Patterson and absolutely no one else.
Could the Raptors address this deficit during the June 25 draft? Sure, but it's unlikely they'll find an immediate contributor at No. 20. That's about where Montrezl Harrell and Kevon Looney should go, but neither the Louisville product nor the former UCLA prospect are going to be as impactful as the veteran who's served as a key player on the Pacers for the last few years.
Right away, West would give the team another scoring option, taking some of the pressure off DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, which would allow them to stay increasingly fresh during the stretch run. He'd add a defensive presence to the frontcourt, no longer forcing Jonas Valanciunas to wear down as he constantly attempts to rotate and protect the basket.
He's basically an ideal fit, even if his advancing age doesn't look particularly sexy for an up-and-coming contender in the Eastern Conference.
All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
