Jerry West: 'I did not want to leave' the Warriors

Jerry West is back in Los Angeles, a place where he excelled as a player and later as an executive -- leading the Lakers to NBA titles in both roles.

The Lakers legend will be a consultant for the city's other team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He joined them in June and is part of a shake-up in the upper management after coach Doc Rivers was stripped of his role in building the roster.

But, in a recent interview with The Athletic, West said that he would've preferred to remain with the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, a team that he had worked as a consultant for since 2011.

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When asked about his thoughts on leaving the Warriors, West said "Frankly it was very sad, OK? It really was. A place where I thought that if I was going to work another year or if somebody wanted me to work another year, I thought I could contribute; I did not want to leave. I did not want to leave. I was very happy there."

West went on to say that the Warriors were a group that embodied the team concept as well as any he had been around and that "there’s a lot of joy there." He said that's why the team is successful.

Now West moves on with the Clippers, a team that has had talent in recent years, but never reached their potential. They're hoping West's magic touch will help them do that.

But the question is, why would West leave such a great situation with the Warriors?

"It was time for me to leave," he said. "I’m in Los Angeles again. For me, I’ll have a chance to go in the office a little bit and watch some of the people that have been hired, to watch our coaches coach. I’ve often said I’ve done some crazy things in my life because of the timing and maybe the timing was right."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Kevin Spain @kevin_spain.