Metta World Peace hasn't offered any public hints about whether he plans to exercise his early-termination option for next season, but Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon hears he intends to play out his contract with the Lakers. World Peace is due $7,727,280 in the final season of his five-year deal, and Coon would be "shocked" if he turned that down.
The news isn't unexpected, since World Peace might have trouble making half as much next season if he were to hit the open market. He could probably wrangle more guaranteed money as part of a long-term deal, but at 33 years old, few teams would be willing to give him a contract that stretched out for too long.
World Peace has shown durability and, this year, a remarkable capacity to recover from a late-season knee injury, but his on-court efficiency hasn't been the same since he signed with the Lakers four years ago. His career PER had been 16.5 during his first 10 seasons in the league, but his PER with L.A. is just 11.8. His number this year was slightly higher, at 12.5, as World Peace was tasked with more minutes and shots amid an injury-hit season for his Lakers teammates.
In his blog post, Coon counts World Peace among the Lakers' commitments for next season and ponders whether the team could sign both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, as Grantland's Bill Simmons suggested. Such a move would require the team to amnesty Kobe Bryant and trade Pau Gasol to the Rockets, and there's no reasonable scenario that would allow the Lakers to offer max contracts to both Howard and Paul, as Coon deduces.
he will be the Amnesty victim we can’t pay 7 million to a guy who only score 11 points
Lakers gotta amnesty him but it’s not because of the scoring. Scoring isn’t his role. His role is to be a defender. They just need to move on and get younger.
He would be dumb to leave on his own since he is the obvious amnesty choice and he’ll make that money and can then go play elsewhere anyways.
wrong he should opt out then he could stay with the lakers if he does not opt out he will be amnistyed and will not be a laker again.
Lakers are messed up financially. The are already over the cap. Without resigning Howard or any of the bench.
Amnesty Metta.
Give that money to Earl Clark (well some of it).
Trade Gasol. Somebody will give up good value for that expriring contract.
Why can’t Lakers work out a deal to amnesty Kobe so technically still gets paid but then agree to resign him at a lower amt when healthy?
No matter what they do kobe gets paid. Amnesty or Not hes paid through his contract but Kobes not gonna sign for a lower deal or not be a part of the team. He is the lakers. If they amnesty him he would be offended and im sure the spurs would throw $$ at him so fast his head would spin. He would get a huge pay cheque from two organizations if they amnesty him not to mention a few million Kobe fans would stop watching and follow him wherever. Like me!
If the Lakers were to amnesty Kobe (or anyone else), they wouldn’t be able to bring him back until his current contract expired. So they could re-sign him for the 2014/15 season, but not at any point during 2013/14.
— Luke
U crazy we better not amnesty Kobe amnesty Nash and MWP
Amnesty Nash and MWP
Can’t amnesty Nash. He was not on the lakers roster when the new CBA went affect. Only kobe,mwp, Blake, and gasol can be amnesty.
Keep him as a role player. I say this because he is a low budget, high defensive minded player. Use him like Phil Jackson did. Play D Play D Play D only, no shooting: unless we are closing out a close game and, you are sure you can make it. Any other way don’t shoot or, dribble METta..
disqus_Da8njKLlyD is correct. We better sit and see how, Hill heals first. Or see how, Blake heals..