I think you're giving too much credit too
West, and not enough credit to
Mark Price or
Larry Nance. Or
Daugherty. He was a good center, and the best player from that draft to see any NBA time.
KJ was better than Price, but not by a whole lot. They put up a competitive team in the east against the likes of Jordan's Bulls and Isiah's Pistons. Championships are hard to come by. They made a push and came up short. There have been many, many, many worst deals than the Nance one. They paid a little more than value, but sometimes you have to.