Lakers Notes: World Peace, Woolridge, Kobe

Metta World Peace has been working out at the Lakers’ practice facility recently, sparking talk that he was eyeing a return to the team. With a roster packed with young players, GM Mitch Kupchak has been keeping tabs on the veteran’s progress, though he’s unsure if the team will look to ink World Peace to a training camp pact, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. “I love the guy,” Kupchak said. “I really do. Last year, he was in Europe, he was in China. [Then] he coached his daughter’s middle school or high school team to a championship. He was here to work out when he got back from Europe playing, and then he’d come in through the summer. He’s been coming in on a regular basis. I do know that he wants to play, and that’s where we are.”

As for a potential contract offer to World Peace, Kupchak said, “We’ve got a couple more weeks [until training camp]. Our roster’s not complete. And we’ll just take it from there. Nothing’s imminent in terms of a signing anytime soon, but it’s hard not to watch a guy when he’s in your gym every day going up and down the court, working with young guys, playing hard. Part of me says he can still play, so I don’t know where we’re going to end up on it. But that’s kind of where it is.”

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

• Kupchak also gave a status update on Kobe Bryant‘s recovery from rotator cuff surgery, relaying that the team expects him to be ready to go once training camp commences, Amick adds in the same piece. “My understanding is that he’ll be ready for camp,” said Kupchak. “Knowing Kobe, he will try to participate in every practice in camp. But myself and [coach] Byron [Scott] are going to have something to say about that. So I’m sure there will be a practice or two or three where we won’t let him practice, but I do expect him to be full bore at camp.”
• Unrestricted free agent small forward Renaldo Woolridge has also been working out at the team’s facility after spending a second consecutive Summer playing for the franchise’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Lakers currently have 17 players on their roster, so the franchise does have space to add the 25-year-old for training camp if they so desire. That number doesn’t include center Robert Upshaw, whose status with the team still remains unclear.
• The Lakers have promoted Jesse Buss to assistant GM, Ryan West is now the Lakers’ director of player personnel, and assistant coach Clay Moser will additionally serve as director of basketball strategy, Pincus, writing for the Los Angeles Times, relays.