Sources: David West to be free agent
Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in March, New Orleans Hornets power forward David West
is expected to opt out of the final season of his contract this week
and become a free agent, according to sources close to the situation.
West
has a June 30 deadline in his contract to notify the Hornets whether he
will invoke next season's $7.5 million salary or opt for free agency,
but sources say that the Hornets are already bracing for West to make
his opt-out decision official before Thursday's buzzer.
The
Hornets have anticipated all along that West would become a free agent,
even though the former All-Star was forced to undergo surgery in April
to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee suffered
March 24. The reason: West still figures to be one of the two or three
most coveted players on the open market in spite of the injury after
years of consistent production and averages of 18.9 points and 7.6
rebounds in 70 games last season.
The Hornets, sources
said, would still love to sign West to an extension before Thursday's
deadline. But it's believed that West -- even in a financial landscape
forecasted to be more restrictive starting next season and even
factoring in his injury -- will eventually earn more in free agency than
he could in an extension that would have to be calculated with next
season's $7.5 million salary as a starting point.
Free
agency will be delayed if the NBA, as expected, imposes a lockout July
1. But sources say only an unforeseen rehabilitation setback in the next
72 hours would change West's plans.
The New Orleans
Times-Picayune reported on Friday that West has been rehabbing twice
daily and started on that schedule even before New York orthopedist Dr.
David Altchek reconstructed the torn ligament. Altchek re-examined
West's knee in New York two weeks ago and proclaimed him ahead of
schedule in a rehabilitation period that initially was expected to last
six to eight months.
West told the newspaper in a story
published Friday: "I just want to make sure that whatever it is I do, I
want to make sure it's the best thought-out decision. I'm not 100
percent clear yet. What I will say is I feel good. I feel confident in
my rehab and my knee. And I'll keep looking at it. I'm not worried about
my knee.
"Whatever decision it is, and to me it's probably
a bigger deal to other people than it is to me, it's just something I'm
waiting to do," West continued. "I wanted to finish this week in
particularly because this is a good point in my rehab. After this rehab
(session Friday), I'll have a good long conversation with my agent
(Octagon's Lance Young) and go from there."
Hornets general manager Dell Demps
told the Times-Picayune last week: "Whether he opts in or opts out, our
goal is to keep David West here. We said it from Day 1: We want David
West to retire a Hornet. He's been great to us on and off the court.
We're hoping his recovery continues on pace as it is right now. He's
right on schedule to come back next year and play.
"We're hoping for a speedy recovery. Our goal is to keep him. There's room for both
(West and free-agent power forward Carl Landry). Our goal is to keep that core together. We're not changing off that plan."
消息來源透露, David West 會行使最後一年的球員選擇權, 放棄 $7百50萬年薪, 投身自由球員市場
Hornets 也會極力將他續約 - 如果 David West 在 6/30 之前行使選擇權的話
