Metta world Peace (Photo : Wikimedia/ Bridget Samuels)
The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for the upcoming season and reports say it's setting its eyes on a former LA All-Star and champion.
League sources have revealed to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Lakers are looking at the possibility of signing former Lakers Ron Artest, aka Metta World Peace. While no contract has been signed yet, talks are on-going between the two camps.
Sources also revealed that World Peace has been spending time at the Lakers practice facility, getting to know the team's young guns, including Julius Randle.
The 6'7 small forward has not played in the NBA since the 2013-14 season with the New York Knicks. Playing 29 games that season, he averaged a measly 4.8 points per game, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 13.4 minutes of play.
After being waived by the Knicks, he played in the Chinese Basketball League and earlier this year he suited up for the Pallacanestro Cantù of Italy in the 2014-15 Lega Basket Serie A.
Artest aka World Peace aka Panda's Friend has also played for the Los Angeles for four seasons, from 2009 to 2013. He was also part of the 2010 Championship team of the Lakers with Kobe Bryant.
Notably, according to Yahoo! Sports, the Black Mamba has met the idea of signing Metta back with "enthusiasm".
However, according to Fran Blinebury of NBA Hang Time, bringing back the 35-year-old wouldn't do the team much good. Aside from the fact that he is years past his prime, Metta in the roster may delay the showcase of the Lakers new trio - Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle.
So far, all of the reports are still in their early stages and the Lakers management has yet to comment on the issue.
