The aftershock of the Dwight Howard's decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers continues.
The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding announced on Twitter that the Lakers are planning to cut forward Metta World Peace by using the NBA's amnesty clause, which allows teams to dump a high-priced player's contract.
Ding said the move would save the Lakers more than $30 million, although CBSSports.com said the move would result in $7.7 million in savings - that is what the team would owe World Peace if he were to play in Los Angeles for the 2013-14 season.
World Peace averaged 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds last season for Los Angeles, marking the first time since his first season with the Lakers in 2009-10 that he averaged double figures in scoring.
World Peace signed a five-year deal with the Lakers in 2009, replacing Trevor Ariza, who left as a free agent and signed, ironically enough, with the Houston Rockets. MWP helped the Lakers win their second consecutive championship in 2010.
He scored 20 points with five rebounds and five steals. Leading Los Angeles to a Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals that year as teammate Kobe Bryant struggled with a 6-of-24 shooting night.
As CBSSports.com reported, if the Lakers use the amnesty clause on World Peace, they won't be able to use the provision on center Pau Gasol.
The Lakers earlier on Monday signed 7-foot center Chris Kaman, which gives them three centers on the roster, including second-year player Robert Sacre.
The Lakers earlier this month lost forward Earl Clark, who signed a three-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers as Los Angeles was waiting for Howard to announce his decision.
Several media outlets have speculated that the Lakers will dump salaries this season so they can be major players in free-agency during the summer of 2014.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
