NBA Free Agency Update: David West To Join Golden State Warriors

It’s been a busy week for the Golden State Warriors, who keep on adding talent to a team that won 73 games a season ago.

A day after signing Kevin Durant, the Warriors brought in power forward David West according to ESPN. West, who will turn 36 before the season starts, will be under contract for one season and will make the league’s veteran minimum salary of $543,471.

The veteran was drafted 18th overall in 2003 by the New Orleans Hornets and spent the next eight seasons with the franchise before turning in four solid years with the Indiana Pacers. Last season, West took a pay cut to sign with the San Antonio Spurs in hopes of winning a title and will do the same with Golden State in 2016.

West’s best stretch came with New Orleans in 2007 and 2008, when he averaged over 20 points per game in both seasons and was named to back-to-back All-Star teams. While West has slowed down considerably with age, he was still a solid bench player in San Antonio last year, averaging seven points and four rebounds in 18 minutes per contest according to Basketball-Reference.

Overall, West has averaged 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting just shy of 50 percent of the field for his career, good for a lifetime PER of 18.6.

Durant is clearly the best addition of the NBA free agency period so far and makes the Warriors look like a juggernaut on paper, but Golden State has also done a great job of adding some depth to fill out the bench. The Warriors added Zaza Pachulia, a completely serviceable big man, for just $2.9 million on Monday.

Adding depth is going to be a critical part of Golden State’s offseason plan, as the team lost role players like Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, and Andrew Bogut from the record-breaking 73-win squad. Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson will carry the load as the most formidable team the NBA has seen on paper in quite some time, the bench will also play an important role in helping the Warriors reach their ultimate goal of a title.

Signing West could prove to be particularly important, as the Warriors could be a little strapped for frontcourt depth next season. In addition to Ezeli and Bogut leaving, Golden State may not be able to re-sign big men Marreese Speights and Anderson Varejao.

West figures to split minutes with second-year player Kevon Looney as the backup power forward behind Green. Even in his mid-30s, West played a role in San Antonio’s 67-win season last year and should provide some instant offense off the bench with his strong mid-range jumper.

Small moves like adding West can make a meaningful difference for a team looking to break a wins record or make a deep postseason run. Bringing in Durant gives the Warriors an incredible starting lineup, but sometimes, it can take more than that to win an NBA championship as LeBron James and the Miami Heat found out in 2010.

Fans and even other players around the league have voiced their displeasure at Durant’s decision to join Golden State, accusing him of being a “ring chaser,” and West is certainly guilty of the same crime. West opted out of his contract in Indiana last offseason and took an $11 million pay cut to head to San Antonio and could have got more on the open market this year than the veteran minimum.

The Warriors may not be done adding veteran pieces who want a title for cheap, as the team still has more depth to fill out. As it stands now, Golden State is the clear title favorite heading into next year, with moves like adding West making a small yet meaningful difference.

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]