David West opts out of player option with San Antonio Spurs

Power forward David West will opt out of his 2016-17 player option with the San Antonio Spurs to become a free agent, possibly considering retirement.

According to Shams Charania of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, San Antonio “Spurs forward David West will decline his $1.55 million player option for 2016-17 and evaluate playing future.”

West took a huge gamble by leaving a ton of money on the table with the Indiana Pacers to take on a reserve role with the Spurs in hopes of contending for an NBA Championship. West had spent his previous 12 NBA seasons with the then-New Orleans Hornets and the Pacers after a stellar collegiate career with the Xavier Musketeers.

While he is in the twilight of his NBA career, West has been an All-Star caliber player well into his 30s. At 36 years old in 2016-17, West may have to consider if he still wants to play for an NBA Championship or ultimately call it a career.

The thought behind leaving the Pacers for the Spurs was to solidify a great front court rotation in San Antonio with Tim Duncan and fellow Spurs newcomer LaMarcus Aldridge, among others. While Aldridge was again an All-Star and small forward Kawhi Leonard became an All-NBA player, San Antonio looked old at times in the 2016 NBA Playoffs, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

If West does decide to play for another NBA team in the 2016-17 NBA season, he will probably again agree to a two-year veteran minimum contract with a player option in 2017-18. Though he is clearly past his prime, West can still provide tremendous value to a championship contender coming off the bench.

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