David West on turning down $11M to join Spurs: 'A very calculated decision'
David West knew what he was doing when he decided to opt out of his contract with the Pacers to join the Spurs.
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3 min read
SAN ANTONIO -- For David West, it wasn't a difficult decision to leave the Indiana Pacers -- a team he played with for the past four seasons -- to join the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, West effectively gave up the opportunity to earn $12 million next season by opting out of his contract with the Pacers to sign a $1.5 million veteran's minimum deal with the Spurs. Yet for him, the $11 million he was leaving behind had no effect on his decision.
"It wasn't really a difficult decision," West said confidently and quietly at the Spurs' media day. "I guess it's just the nature of it. Everybody is just focused on money right now, I guess it's just the society that we're living in. But truth be told, it wasn't a big decision for me or my family. I've been preparing to put myself in this position to choose what I wanted to do in my career from day one.
"I've always been very strategic in that manner," West continued. "This was a very calculated decision, it wasn't something that was made using emotions or anything like that. It was very calculated, very thought out. In examining where I was, who I am as a player, as a person, I felt like this environment would be best suited for me at this moment. It wasn't necessarily about what I was giving up but more about what I'm looking to gain."
Before Indiana knew of West's decision, they were planning on making a significant change in its own team environment. Opting to go smaller by trading Roy Hibbert, the Pacers will also experiment with Paul George at the power forward position. Despite these changes, there was still a role for West and the opportunity to cash in on his large contract. However, West decided that his time in Indiana had come to an end and even calls himself selfish for picking the Spurs.
"It was just the right decision to make for me," West said. "In my situation, being a little selfish, wanting to be a part of this organization, learn and get in this mix. I'm just looking forward to soaking this environment in. I'm going to learn what I can and bring what I can to the table and hopefully help the team win."
With the Spurs adding LaMarcus Aldridge and both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili choosing to return, West has the opportunity to win his first NBA championship in San Antonio. A two-time All-Star, West averaged 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds last season and after opting out, was drawing the interest of several teams this summer who were looking for a veteran big man presence. However, once Aldridge agreed to join the Spurs, West's decision became much easier.
"He's one of those guys that's an elite talent," West said about Aldridge while explaining his reasoning behind coming to San Antonio. "I'm looking at the landscape and I'm saying ‘If he goes there, they've got another shot at it.' So I was like 'I've got to be a part of it.' I was already sort of thinking about coming here, and just wanting to be a part of this environment and see what it's all about because I've heard so much about it. I just wanted to be a part of it."
"It" is San Antonio's unique winning culture, which often causes players to think more about the team, rather than their own individual pockets. But West's decision was still shocking for Duncan, who is expecting big things from the veteran forward.
"I thought it was incredible that he would say that he wants to be on a winning team, a winning organization and pull the trigger, to give up what he gave up and commit to coming here," Duncan said. "Not only that, just being around him the last couple of weeks, I can already see the influence he's gonna have on our team and the tremendous help he's gonna be for us."
