NBA Off-Season 2017: Clippers Attempting to Hire Jerry West Away From Warriors

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Clippers are in conversations to hire Jerry West away from the Golden State Warriors.

Jerry West, who enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Lakers before stepping behind the scenes, is considered the architect of the Lakers’ five championships during the 1980’s. He also shaped the Lakers’ first three-peat with Kobe Bryant, winning from 2000-2002, but then took a job as General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies. He retired as GM in 2007, and is currently serving as a member of the Golden State Warriors Executive Board. The Warriors’ 2015 championship was West’s 7th as an executive—a potential victory in the coming weeks would be his 8th.

West turned 79 years old this week, and his retirement a decade ago suggests that he is not looking for a full-time General Manager role. Stein writes that the Clippers are seeking to hire him in an advisory role similar to the one he currently serves with the Warriors. Still, this marks a significant point in the Clippers’ off-season—they are officially looking for front office hires that would presumably come in over Doc Rivers’ head.

Stein also notes that multiple other teams have made a run at West, as his contract with the Warriors expires in July. The Warriors seemingly want to retain West, but have postponed contract negotiations until after the NBA Finals.