The Washington Wizards are among the teams to express interest in New Orleans Hornets free-agent forward David West, reports Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, citing a source. West, a two-time All-Star, exercised the early termination option in his contract, forgoing the final year of his deal, valued at $7.5 million according to ShamSports.
Wednesday was the first day teams were allowed to contact free agents following the NBA lockout, though they cannot sign players or offer contracts to them until Dec. 9, which is unusual by NBA standards, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
West, an eight-year veteran, owns career averages of 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 49 percent shooting from the field. An excellent mid-range shooter, West has teamed with Hornets point guard Chris Paul to form a potent pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop attack. In his most recent season, West, 31, posted per-game averages of 18.9 points, 7.6 boards, and 50.8 percent shooting in just 35 minutes.
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