Behind door No. 1, David West has a $7.5 million option to return to the New Orleans Hornets.
Behind door No. 2, free agency. Which is a big risk —West was the Hornets leading scorer and due for a big pay increase, but then he blew out his ACL in March. Combine that with the unknown world of the new post-lockout Collective Bargaining Agreement and behind door No. 2 could be the Let’s Make A Deal goat.
West’s agent tells the Times-Picayune West has yet to choose a door. He has until June 30.
“We’ve talked about it, and I think he’s going to wait until about a week before that to see where his knee is and how it feels and make an educated decision about where to go from there,” (Lance) Young said. “We really haven’t discussed it because we have some time.”
If he can demonstrate he’s healthy, an All-Star power forward and a great pick-and-pop partner will draw more than $7.5 million on the open market, and for more years. But it’s about health. He’s smart to wait.