Celtics Close to Acquiring David West in Sign-And-Trade with Hornets

By KC Downey in Celtics, Featured, Top Story ⋅ December 10, 2011 at 9:44am ⋅ Post a comment

David West (Derick E. Hingle/US Presswire)

The Celtics and Hornets finally came to agreement on a deal…but not for Chris Paul. Danny Ainge is set to sign free agent forward David West as part of a sign-and-trade deal, according to TNT’s David Aldridge. West, who is coming off a torn ACL, will likely sign a 3-year deal for $27-29 million.

Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Boston will send Jermaine O’Neal and another player as part of the sign-and-trade deal, and those players will be part of another deal.

West, 31, was willing to take less money to finally play for a winner, Wojnarowski reported.

The 6’9″ West has averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds during his 8-year career, and appeared poised for a big payday until he suffered the knee injury near the end of last season. Aldridge reports that West ”has diligently rehabbed his injury in North Carolina last summer, but teams have been slow to make significant offers to him.”

West’s longtime teammate Chris Paul is still in New Orleans, for now, one day after the NBA nixed a trade that would have sent him to LA, Paul Gasol to Houston, and Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and another player back to New Orleans.