The NBA trade deadline is right around the corner and rumors are starting to blow up. One player on the market now is Indiana Pacers forward David West.
Zach Lowe of Grantland.com has reported that Toronto is interested in David West. The Raptors are also fine with dealing their young wing player, Terrence Ross. With DeMar DeRozan getting most of the minutes at the shooting guard position and James Johnson giving the Raptors good minutes defensively, it will be hard to determine where Ross fits in the rotation.
Toronto is currently 36-17 and is still looking for ways to improve. The Raptors have made it clear that just getting in the post-season is not good enough for them, and they want to make a deep run. A player like West can definitely help them short term.
If the right deal comes, the Raptors are also willing to package their center Jonas Valanciunas. Toronto very well could be giving up on their young talent. The rebuilding days in Toronto are over, and the city has embraced this team.
David West is averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds this season. West could provide consistent mid-range shooting, hard-nose defense, and most importantly playoffs experience.
For the Pacers, they currently sit two games back of the last playoff spot. With Paul George coming back in March, Larry Bird may want to keep the core together to make a final push, and may allow West to decide what he wants to do during the offseason with his player option.