Jerry West is one of the most influential people in the history of the game of basketball. After a Hall of Fame playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, West became the visage of the NBA's logo-based silhouette, hence the nickname “The Logo.”
But as legendary and revered as West was as a player, he is leaving an even larger footprint on the game as a front office executive. He traded for Kobe Bryant. He was with the Golden State Warriors when they drafted Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. West has also played a vital role in signing some of the biggest names in free agency throughout the years:
And Jerry West has now been part of the successful free-agent recruitment and landing of:
-Shaquille O'Neal
-Kevin Durant
-Kawhi Leonard(And acquiring of Kobe Bryant and Paul George.)
There is nobody who comes close to this in the history of the NBA or perhaps all of sports.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 6, 2019
West's willingness to do whatever it takes to acquire the best players was on full display this past weekend. He–along with Lawrence Frank, Michael Winger and owner Steve Ballmer–sent a massive package to the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire superstar forward Paul George. The play for George essentially guaranteed that the team would be able to sign Kawhi Leonard, making the Los Angeles Clippers the presumptive favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship.
Having shaken up the NBA yet again, the question must be asked: Is Jerry West the greatest front office executive in league history?
New Laker dynasty
In the mid-1990s, the Orlando Magic had a chance to establish a new era in the Eastern Conference. With young stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway blossoming as two of the most dominant players at their respective positions, Orlando could have potentially posed a more serious challenge to the Chicago Bulls.
However, with O'Neal and Hardaway going through some internal drama and the Magic showing some stinginess in contract negotiations with O'Neal, Jerry West made his play in the summer of 1996.
West signed O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal shortly after sending center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to a high schooler named Kobe Bryant.
This tandem would ultimately be one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in the history of basketball, but they failed to advance to the NBA Finals in their first three years together.
Jerry West hired former Bulls coach Phil Jackson and acquired veterans Ron Harper, Brian Shaw and Glen Rice to supplement his two young stars. The result in the 2000 NBA season was an MVP year for O'Neal, and the team's first title since 1988.
A three-peat would soon follow, with West's major acquisitions–O'Neal and Bryant–leading the way.
Drafting greatness
The Golden State Warriors' dynasty was predicated on excellent drafting.
Klay Thompson (2011) and Draymond Green (2012), one taken outside the top 10 and the other taken in the second round, represent two of the greatest draft picks ever made. West was on the Warriors' payroll when those picks were made, but perhaps his biggest impact was with a trade that didn't happen.
Back in 2014, the Warriors were coming off a first-round defeat to the Clippers when owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers were interested in trading Thompson to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. West threatened to resign if the deal was made, and the rest is history.
After years of playoff disappointment, the Warriors — with Jerry West reshaping their culture — hired Steve Kerr, who immediately helped transform the Warriors into one of the most revolutionary teams in NBA history, and a champion to boot.
West helped lure Kevin Durant to the Bay Area in the summer of 2016, but his legacy with the Warriors still revolves around building the team through the draft.
Another big splash
This latest play with the Clippers might be West's crowning achievement as the greatest executive in NBA history. Los Angeles may have had to sell its future to acquire George and sign Leonard, but the Clippers have immediately given themselves their best look at winning an NBA title.
Remember the other moves the Clippers have made this offseason. They brought back point guard Patrick Beverley, re-signed young center Ivica Zubac–whom they pilfered from the Lakers–and acquired Maurice Harkless, all moves that made them better before George and Leonard came on the scene.
The way in which it all played out speaks to how ruthless and dogged Jerry West can be as an executive. All of Los Angeles' management knew it had to get extremely aggressive to make these separate deals happen, and they struck an accord in the middle of the night.
The bottom line
Former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause was the rambunctious architect of the Bulls' dynasty in the 1990s. Pat Riley went from being one of the greatest coaches in league history to one of the best executives, orchestrating a new Heat dynasty in Miami.
But Jerry West could be on the precipice of creating multiple-time champions with three separate teams, a feat that is unparalleled in professional sports. We may never see that kind of success ever again.
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