Earlier this week, the Lakers made the tough financial decision to waive fan favorite Metta World Peace via their one-time amnesty provision given to all NBA teams under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). While Lakers fans will miss Metta, amnestying the veteran forward will save the team approximately $15 million in luxury taxes.
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On Sunday afternoon, Metta officially cleared waivers and became a free agent, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Metta World Peace has cleared waivers and become a free agent, league source tells Y! Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 14, 2013
Since the amnesty became official, there have been varying reports and rumors of what World Peace will do and go next. There have been hints at retirement, playing with the New York Knicks, playing for the Clippers, playing overseas in China and even playing arena football.
Now that Metta is officially a free agent, he is permitted to sign with any team except the Lakers. Since a team did not claim MWP off waivers, the Lakers will have to pay his full contract for this season, worth approximately $7.7 million, but his contract will still remain off their books. However, the Lakers will receive some financial relief if he signs with another team.
The New York Knicks seem like the favorable choice for the New York native as both parties have interest in one another. However, the Clippers and playing in China are also candidates for Metta as he recently tweeted that he spoke to Yao Ming.
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