Metta World Peace and Kobe Bryant are together again.
Almost.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the 35-year-old MWP, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013-14, looks to be nearing a return to the Los Angeles Lakers:
Yahoo Sources: Metta World Peace has begun to work out daily at Lakers’ facility, inching closer to a return to franchise on one-year deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) September 9, 2015
Wojnoarowski would later provide some additional details on the matter:
World Peace, 35, started participating in informal workouts with Lakers players this week at the team’s facility in El Segundo, Calif., and is expected to continue through the start of Lakers training camp later this month, league sources said. No deal has been agreed upon, but there’s an increasing expectation that will happen this month, league sources said.
World Peace had been in the Lakers’ practice facility earlier this summer, too, working against 2014 first-round pick Julius Randle, sources said.
Signing MWP is both weird and makes a ton of sense.
On the one hand, the Lakers and MWP severed ties under imperfect circumstances the first time around. They amnestied him before 2013-14 began, which allowed him to sign with the New York Knicks, a team he would eventually leave. To bring him back, on a rebuilding team that has youngsters who need to play, feels disingenuous to the Lakers’ current state.
Then again, they’re depleted at the small forward position. Kobe and Nick Young, shooting guards by craft, are pretty much the only candidates they have to play the 3 right now. The Lakers have instead gone buck wild with score-first guards. In addition to Young and Kobe, they also employ Jordan Clarkson, rookie D’Angelo Russell and Louis Williams.
Hence the reason why head coach Byron Scott was talking about slotting Kobe at power forward when the situation calls for it or is allowed. Positionless basketball is all the rage in today’s NBA, but the Lakers, as currently constructed, have no other choice than to displace certain rotation players from their comfort.
That would suggest MWP addresses a need. But at 35, more than a half-decade removed from posting an above-average player efficiency rating for an entire season, according to Basketball-Reference, MWP isn’t a suitable option at small forward. He’s never been a lights-out three-point shooter, and he doesn’t have the quickness to hang with constantly attacking wings. If anything, he’s a better fit at the 4, where the Lakers already have Brandon Bass, Julius Randle and Ryan Kelly.
Counterpoint: Whatever.
Randle is the only one of those three power forwards the Lakers really need to play, and he’s working his way back from a broken leg. It’s highly unlikely he plays 30-plus minutes per game anyway.
The Lakers are also in that weird place where they’re trying to rebuild and maintain cap flexibility while still competing in the name of Kobe. MWP would seem to help them do that, if only because he leads Kobe to believe the Lakers haven’t completely given up on next season.
