The San Antonio Spurs are at it again. Only a couple of hours after Manu Ginobili announced he was coming back for another season, David West decided to sign with the Spurs as a free agent. West had a lot of suitors, but he decided to go with the Spurs over the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards.
West is known as one of the toughest players in the NBA because he plays with a lot of grit and can knock down mid-range jumpers with ease. Early on in free agency, it was reported that West was a lock to sign with the New York Knicks, but he called those reports "ridiculous" and said he wants to join a championship contender, according to CBS Sports.
After the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge earlier in free agency, West joins a frontcourt that has the potential to dominate games. He will likely come off the bench and provide depth behind Aldridge and Tim Duncan. The Spurs traded Tiago Splitter earlier in the offseason to make room for Aldridge, and they also lost Aron Baynes via free agency to the Detroit Pistons, so West will be the replacement in the frontcourt, and he is more than capable of filling in admirably.
West will play next season at the age of 35 and it will be his 13th season in the league. Last season, West averaged 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with the Indiana Pacers.
West had a player option with the Pacers this season for $12 million, but he declined that because he didn't feel the Pacers were contenders. West instead decided to sign with the Spurs for the veteran's minimum, according to David Aldridge. The veteran's minimum will pay West around $1.4 million for this upcoming season.
Before Monday, it was clear that the Spurs had one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, but after Monday, it is clear they have one of the best overall teams in the league with the additions of Ginobili and West.
