So much for Monday night's tweet. Metta World Peace will remain a Los Angeles Laker after exercising the final year of his contract which is worth $7.7 million. This is coming less than 24 hours after thanking fans of L.A., making it seem like he was planning on playing elsewhere in the upcoming season.
World Peace had until Monday to opt out of his contract, but the 33-year-old out of Queensbridge will remain in Los Angeles and complete his five-year deal signed back in 2009. Back then, the Lakers were healthy and winning championships. Entering 2013-2014, this move has it's positives and negatives for the Lakers.
The positive side to having World Peace back, is that the Lakers get a defensive player on their roster. Nash has lost a step, regularly needing help on the defensive end. With Bryant always playing stellar defense, World Peace can also give a hand defending stronger and taller players. Also, World Peace can help space the floor on offense with his improved shooting. In 2012, it looked as though his time was up, when he was unable to hit threes and made less than 30 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. However, this past season, World Peace knocked down close to 35 percent of his threes, once again playing a key role in the Lakers' offense.
On the other hand, had World Peace departed, the Lakers would have been more flexible with their cap, as ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported. His departure would have saved the team upwards of $30 million in luxury taxes as though they will be responsible for his full salary, it would not count towards the team's salary cap. World Peace is also aging, which doesn't serve well for a veteran team with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash on their starting five. Bryant is still recuperating from his torn Achilles and Nash hopes to miss fewer games in the upcoming season. In 2012-2013, Nash missed 32 games.
Laker fans, don't worry, if you were heartbroken and misguided by World Peace's tweet last night; the forward will remain in purple and gold as he pledged to complete his five-year deal with Los Angeles. However, there is still a possibility that World Peace may not be with the Lakers if the team decides to exercise their one-time amnesty clause. We'll keep an eye on the situation to see if World Peace will don the purple and gold, and aim for his second ring.
