Metta expected to exercise player option, according to report

Metta World Peace is expected to exercise his $7.7 million player option for the 2013-2014 NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers according to sources close to the situation, reports L.A. Daily News' Mark Medina.

World Peace signed with the Lakers in 2009. Last season he averaged 12.4 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the field (34 percent from beyond the arc). He played 33 minutes per game and served as starting small forward for 66 games while also helping at power forward, shooting guard, and even center while the Lakers struggled with depth due to injuries throughout the season.

In March Howard S. Cooper of NBA.com reported that World Peace would consider opting out of the final year of his deal in order to restructure his contract and stay with the Lakers beyond the 2013-2014 season:

In a move that would be so Metta World Peace, Metta World Peace is not ruling out the possibility of terminating his contract after the season against all logic, telling NBA.com he would consider the move in the summer if it meant he could remain with the Lakers longer.

World Peace has a player option for 2013-14, the final year of his contract, at $7.7 million. He said his agent, Marc Cornstein, will approach the Lakers about an extension, but that will be a very short conversation unless the 33-year-old small forward is willing to take a severe pay cut. And it may be short no matter what.

No reports have surfaced regarding any negotiations between the Lakers and World Peace's agent Marc Cornstein. The Lakers have only Steve Nash's $9.7 million in guaranteed salary beyond the 2013-2014 season.

- Drew

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