The Toronto Raptors would like to acquire Indiana Pacers veteran big man David West prior to the February 19th trading deadline.
David West has been one of the most consistent power forwards in the NBA for quite a few years, and he has been a huge piece for the Indiana Pacers’ success over the past few seasons. Unfortunately, age has begun to catch up to him this year and the Pacers cannot provide him with a comfortable role and the chance to win a championship.
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After Paul George broke his leg during the offseason and Lance Stephenson left in free agency, there was a time when West seriously considered retirement.
There is a chance that the Pacers could make West available on the trade market ahead of the February 19th trading deadline, but they won’t move him just to make a trade. It would take a good offer from a contending team to make Larry Bird pull the trigger. Bird wouldn’t consider a trade of West unless it ensured that the veteran would have a chance to compete.
One team that is apparently interested in acquiring West is the Toronto Raptors. They are a very talented team and are currently 33-17 on the season which is good enough for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
West has averaged 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, but his 34 years of age have slowed him down a bit this year.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan can only do so much in the back-court, but adding a hard-nosed leader in West would make the team much better. They have solid front-court pieces in Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, and Patrick Patterson, but they are missing the physical presence that West would bring. Indiana would likely want picks and a player like Terrence Ross back in return, which might be too steep of a price for the Raptors.
It would make a lot of sense for both teams to investigate the possibility of a trade, but the Raptors aren’t going to get West at a bargain price.
Indiana is not expected to be legitimate playoff contenders, even if they make a push and get into the playoffs. They simply don’t have enough talent this year, and are currently 18-32 on the season. George could come back at some point in March, which could make Bird hold onto the current group of players that they have in hopes of a late season run.
All of that being said, the two teams should seriously consider talking about a deal involving West. The Pacers could use some cap room this offseason and young talent, and the Raptors need a big man with the skill-set that West possesses. It seems like a good possibility both ways, so the general managers need to get on the phone and get down to business.
H/T Bleacher Report
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