Report: Wizards 'pushing hard' for David West, Spurs also in the hunt
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The David West sweepstakes appears to have come down to two teams.
Either the San Antonio Spurs or Washington Wizards will wind up signing the 34-year-old power forward, ESPN's Marc Stein reports. The Wizards are "pushing hard" to land West, sources told Stein, while the Spurs remain firmly in the hunt.
West isn't in a rush to make a decision, though, as he's waiting for high-profile free agents like LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan to sign before agreeing to a deal of his own, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports.
The Wizards would reportedly prefer to use their mid-level exception on West, though it remains to be seen if that's enough to push him towards the nation's capital.
I can tell you this: David West walked away from $12.6 million. He knows who he wants to play for, and he's not going to rush into anything.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 3, 2015
West recently declined his $12.6-million player option for 2015-16 with the Indiana Pacers. It's a surprising move from someone his age to leave that kind of money on the table.
The Pacers' 38-44 record last season wasn't a fair representation of how good they are, as All-Star Paul George missed all but six games after suffering compound fractures of both bones in his lower right leg with the U.S. men's national team.
With Monta Ellis agreeing to a four-year, $44-million deal, it's easy to see the Pacers re-emerging as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
That potential title run will be minus the services of West, though, who's gung-ho on finishing his career elsewhere.
"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," West told WTHR-TV's Bob Kravitz about opting out. "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."
West has been a model of consistency over his 12-year career, averaging 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds on 48.9 percent shooting. Any team would be happy to have him on board, although the Spurs would gladly take the younger, more productive LaMarcus Aldridge instead as the team remains in the driver's seat to land the four-time All-Star.