Lakers have reportedly agreed to re-sign Metta World Peace

By Brett Pollakoff
Published

Metta World Peace has agreed to re-sign with the Lakers, according to a report from Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News is among those reporting that it's a non-guaranteed deal for the upcoming season.

The Lakers have 14 players with guaranteed contracts already in place, which means that World Peace will be competing with Yi Jianlian and others for the final spot on the roster. It has been reported, however, that L.A. may look to trade or buy out the contract of Nick Young before the season begins, which could open up an additional spot.

The Lakers will spend the 2016-17 season developing what the team hopes will be its next generation of core players. D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram will get plenty of opportunity, but things can go off the rails without a veteran presence in the locker room, which World Peace -- a former teammate of head coach Luke Walton's on L.A.'s 2010 championship team -- can now provide.

World Peace, who will turn 37 years old in November, averaged 16.9 minutes in 35 regular season appearances for the Lakers last year. If he ends up making the cut, he will be playing in his 17th NBA season.