The New York Knicks waived Metta World Peace this week and now he is a free agent and can sign with other teams and the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be his best options heading into the second half of the season.
The Knicks had high hopes this season heading into the year and the man formerly known as Ron Artest was supposed to be a part of it, but after head coach Mike Woodson stashed him on the bench mostly, the team worked out a buyout. The team did the same with Beno Udrih and now the Knicks are without two of the players they boasted about signing in the offseason and all this comes after the team suffered another heartbreaking loss, as the Mavericks won at the buzzer on Monday night after a shot from Dirk Nowitzki went in after the buzzer went off, leaving the Knicks to watch another defeat unfold with no response allowed.
The team now has moved on from World Peace and that opens up a number of options, as SI.com reports that the LA Clippers have interest in Artest, while the Miami Heat and Spurs could also be a fit. Miami is heading towards a matchup with the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs and adding someone like World Peace could bring some toughness and veteran experience to things, while the Spurs have been dealing with a high amount of injuries this season and he could help to make up for that.
World Peace leaves the Knicks after signing this offseason and that fulfilled a dream for him of playing in the NBA in his hometown and that ends his $1.6 million deal over two years. The second year was a player option and his last game with the team came after he played seven minutes against the Orlando Magic and he remarked after being released that he wasn't given a fair chance in NY and that he can still play.
The Knicks cut his minutes for some reason and he played in just over 13 minutes per game in 29 games after averaging over 30 minutes with the Lakers last season and he averaged just under five points to go along with two rebounds per game. Beno Udrih was bought out as well and he had the same issues with the Knicks and he did not get enough playing time either and now the two players could join other teams.
The Kncks are still out of the playoffs and losses like the one on Monday will continue to haunt the team and if they miss the postseason, there could be some major changes on the way. The Miami Heat signed D-League player DeAndre Liggins and while that takes the roster spot made by trading Roger Mason Jr., the move was on a 10-day contract and that means the team likely will sign someone else soon and that could be Peace.
