There can be many reasons for a player opting out of their contract, reasons that might fall under any assortment of personal, professional, or financial categories. David West opted out of his $12 million contract with the Indiana Pacers with a specific set of intentions.
In an interview with WTHR.com’s Bob Kravitz, West cleared the air about those intentions:
“At this point in my career, I just want to win,” West told WTHR.com in an exclusive interview Wednesday night. “I’m just not sure the Pacers are in title contention right now. I’m going into my 13th season. I’ll be 35 soon. When I got to Indiana, there was hope of getting there and we played at a really high level for a couple of years. But I just don’t know if the team is in the position to win right now and I didn’t know if I’d have that opportunity to win a title if I’d stayed with the Pacers.”
“At this point in my career, it’s all about winning, and again, I don’t want to be in a position where we’re just fighting to make the playoffs, I want to be in a spot where we can legitimately taste the finals,” West said.
West was reportedly linked to the New York Knicks in free agency, but apparently that was never going to happen.
West said the rumors about him going to the Knicks are ridiculous; he wants to be with a contender; the Knicks don’t qualify.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 2, 2015
In his interview, West recounted his memories and the growing pains with the Pacers over the years. He cited his second year when Danny Granger’s major injury caused Paul George to “stand up”, and even addressed his front court mate Roy Hibbert, who has been widely criticized by Larry Bird himself for a significant drop-off in production:
“That’s one thing where I wish they would have handled better was the situation with Roy,” West said. “I’ll be honest with you, that bothered me a little bit, and I told Roy that. I’m the type of guy who feels like we’re all in this fight together and I’m not designed in that way to put it all on one guy. That did rub me the wrong way. That threw me off. I started reading some of that stuff, I started thinking, ‘Whoaa.’ I just didn’t feel good about that. I told Roy that it bothered me, that he’s still my teammate.”
Loyalty, toughness, and one of the more polished mid-range games for a veteran power forward is what a team would still be getting in David West. His motivations are clear, now he’s just looking for the opportunity.
“I just watched those finals, and I thought, ‘Man, I’ve got to give myself a chance.’ That’s the reason I made this decision.‘’
In case you’re wondering: Wizards would love David West but know MLE won’t be enough unless market dries up–as it did on Pierce last yr.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 2, 2015
