Indiana Pacers Need To Trade David West
By Evan Massey
David West is a name that Indiana Pacers fans talk of with thankfulness and love. He is the free agent that chose to sign with the Pacers instead of finalizing a contract with the Boston Celtics who were one of the championship favorites.
While West is one of the fan favorites in Indiana, it’s time for Larry Bird and company to begin looking for a new home for the veteran power forward. It has nothing to do with the play of West, but has everything to do with what is in the best interest long-term for the Pacers. They simply aren’t going to compete this season with or without him, and it is obvious that age is beginning to take a hold on him.
He doesn’t have the type of game that made him so good for the Pacers over the past few seasons, and isn’t capable of taking over game. Indiana has continued to give him chances to take over games, but he simply can’t do it consistently. Obviously he’ll knock down the mid-range jumper fairly well when he’s open and he can finish in the lane at times, but he isn’t nearly the scorer that he once was.
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Indiana has been playing without superstar Paul George all season long, and he likely will miss the rest of the year due to a broken leg suffered this past summer. Lance Stephenson left for Charlotte in free agency, and doesn’t appear welcomed back by his former teammates.
All of that being said, the Pacers need to look to trade West for a young player or possibly picks. The future is still bright for Indiana with George coming back next season, but they need to rebuild their roster around him. Trading West would also free up some money for the Pacers to spend on free agents this coming offseason like Rajon Rondo or Goran Dragic.
There are plenty of teams around the NBA that could use a power forward like West as a role player. Bird will not trade West unless he is moving him to a contender, and rightfully so. Teams like the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, and even Cleveland Cavaliers could be teams that show interest in West if the Pacers place him on the trade block.
It would be very sad to see the Pacers and West part ways, but it would definitely be in the franchise’s best interest. Moving forward and bringing in young talent and freeing up money is exactly what the Pacers need to look to do. West is one of their only trade chips, and they need to begin shopping him around and listening to offers from contenders that could be interested.