Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Lakers legend, Jerry West, could be on his way back to Hollywood, but not with the expected team. West has served in an advisory role with the Golden State Warriors since 2011, but there are recent reports that the Los Angeles Clippers are interested in bringing him in for the same role.
Joining the Clippers would add much needed credibility to franchise that has not experienced much success. The move would also seemingly turn heads around the Lakers front office.
It had been reported that West was interested in a return to the Lakers, but that he didn’t fit Jeanie Buss’ vision for the future of the franchise and is unlikely to join now with Magic Johnson in charge. According to Bill Oram of the OC Register, West really wanted to come back to the Lakers:
“He wanted it more than anything,” one source said.
Returning to the Lakers would have seen West rejoin the franchise he helped make great. As the Lakers general manager from the 1983 to 2000 he was a major proponent in building up the ‘Showtime’ era of the 80s as well as the Kobe-Shaq era of the early 2000s.
One might wonder why West would consider leaving the Warriors since they are in the middle of their best run in franchise history and are headed to their third straight trip to the NBA Finals. Warriors owner, Joe Lacob, recently said that the team would love to have West back in the Bay Area and they have made that known.
Leaving for another team would allow West to help rebuild a franchise that has not had much success like he did with the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. It still uncertain whether he will leave his position with the Warriors, but seeing how it unfolds will be something to keep an eye on as his contract expires in July.