Ranking Potential Landing Spots for Former Laker Metta World Peace

Metta World Peace has officially been amnestied, and that leaves a bunch of options open for the veteran small forward who has made a name for himself with suffocating defensive play. 

As ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports, World Peace could do a number of things now that he's hitting waivers. MWP will still make the $7.7 million he's owed by the Los Angeles Lakers, but he'll be continuing his professional career elsewhere. 

If World Peace is claimed off waivers by a team he doesn't want to play for, he could retire. He's also considered playing in China. Then again, he could just latch on to a contending team right away and play out the 2013-14 NBA season. 

According to ESPN, Jose Morales, a longtime friend of the small forward, said MWP wants to either stay in Los Angeles with the Clippers or move to his hometown: New York. That said, he's sensible enough that he'd listen to other teams' pitches if they picked him up. 

Probably. 

World Peace hasn't confirmed that these six landing spots are all legitimate options, but they're still the best choices for the next chapter of his basketball days. 

6. Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are an unlikely landing spot for Metta World Peace simply because it doesn't make as much sense for him to join an up-and-coming squad during the twilight of his career. And as much as he'd like to deny it, World Peace is fading away. 

He had a resurgent season in 2012-13 for the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring more points per game than he had since the 2009-10 season, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he turns 34 this year. For a player whose defensive skills—his primary calling card—are directly tied to his athleticism and strength, that's a bit problematic.

However, World Peace still has a quality season or two left in the tank, and few teams could give him a better opportunity to show this.

The Pistons don't have many true small forwards on the roster. Josh Smith may have to slide over and play the 3 so that he, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe can all play together, but Smoove is by no means a natural small forward. 

Kyle Singler is the second-best option at the position, and the Duke product is quite clearly worse than World Peace, even at this advanced stage of the amnestied player's career. 

Playing time wouldn't be a problem in Detroit, even if championship potential would. It is also unknown whether the Malice in the Palace would deter the Pistons from pursuing him. 

5. San Antonio Spurs

Metta World Peace fits in perfectly with Gregg Popovich's offensive system. 

The small forward has two primary strengths: his defense and three-point shooting. Both of those are more than welcome on any San Antonio Spurs roster, as the silver-and-black-clad squad seem to specialize in making "3 and D" players look good. 

World Peace took 5.5 three-pointers per game during the 2012-13 campaign, making 34.2 percent of those attempts. He thrived in the corners, and he'd get even more looks there if he joined forces with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. 

No matter how hard teams try to prevent the short three-ball from the corners, they can't seem to completely corral that part of the San Antonio game plan. 

Kawhi Leonard is entrenched in the starting small forward role. No one will be displacing him from that, especially after the 2013 postseason seemed to be his coming-out party, lending credence to the idea that he can be a future franchise centerpiece. 

However, the Spurs don't have much depth at the 3. Deshaun Thomas and Livio Jean-Charles are currently poised to hold down the fort off the pine, and that's not a recipe for the type of success San Antonio is seeking during what could be Duncan's swan song. 

4. Brooklyn Nets

All of a sudden, the Brooklyn Nets are kind of loaded.

Just look at the expressions on the faces of Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace. They're presumably wondering how Brook Lopez can remain so calm despite the sudden influx of talent. 

Depth was a big concern for the Nets, but that's no longer the case after Andrei Kirilenko was reportedly brought on board for just the mini mid-level exception, according to CBS' Ken Berger. Brooklyn now boasts a jaw-dropping starting five of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Lopez, but Mikhail Prokhorov's franchise also lays claim to Shaun Livingston, Jason Terry, Reggie Evans, Andray Blatche and AK-47 off the bench. 

That's a stacked team. Maybe even the league's newest superteam. 

But it can still get better. 

Imagine adding World Peace to that roster. He'd get to play in his hometown, bring even more defense to the second unit and truly compete for a championship. 

Playing time may be more limited in the Barclays Center, but this team could present him with a great opportunity to compete for another ring. 

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

According to the USA Today's Sam Amick, Metta World Peace has no interest in playing for a rebuilding team: 

"

There's an obvious message being sent here by the 33-year-old who has logged 14 seasons: he has no interest in being picked up by a rebuilding team on waivers. Should the Lakers amnesty World Peace as the Orange County Register has reported they likely will, he would have to clear waivers first in order to control his own destination.

"

The Cleveland Cavaliers may still technically be considered a "rebuilding team," but they're already prepared to compete in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will be a playoff team at the conclusion of the 2013-14 regular season, especially after adding Andrew Bynum to the frontcourt. 

If Bynum can look like he did the last time he was teammates with MWP, the Cavs could earn one of the top four seeds in the East. That's also assuming that Kyrie Irving can actually stay healthy. 

Cleveland is set at a number of positions. 

Irving and Jarrett Jack have point guard under control. Dion Waiters is the future of the 2-guard spot. Anthony Bennett, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller and Bynum will hold down the fort at power forward and center in some as-yet-unknown combination. 

However, small forward is still a position of weakness. 

The Cavs could run out Bennett, the newest No. 1 draft pick, at the 3, but that's an ill-fated idea. The UNLV product would be abused defensively and can't yet space the floor out like he needs to at small forward. Alonzo Gee, Sergey Karasev and C.J. Miles are the other options, but they aren't very appealing. 

Karasev will be interesting down the road, but not as an international prospect playing out his rookie season. 

There's an obvious solution here: Wait for MWP to clear waivers and sign him to a minimum contract. 

His defense would be yet another valuable piece as the Cavs attempt to make a massive leap forward during the 2013-14 season. 

2. Los Angeles Clippers

Wouldn't it be fun not to be put on skates by Chris Paul's ridiculous handles? 

Metta World Peace would reportedly prefer to either remain in Los Angeles or move to his hometown and join a New York team, according to Amick, which lets the Los Angeles Clippers come in at No. 2.

Even after trading Eric Bledsoe for some help at the wing positions, LAC still wouldn't mind picking up a bit more depth at small forward, especially if it comes for the veteran's minimum. Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley have the rotation under control, but another quality option would make things even better. 

Additionally, MWP could line up at the 4 in smaller lineups, capably backing up Blake Griffin and allowing the Oklahoma product to maintain his efficiency and energy. According to 82games.com, World Peace was actually significantly better at power forward than small forward during his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers: 

	PER	PER Against
Small forward	11.7	15.0
Power forward	16.6	13.7

This isn't just some trick created by small sample size, either. World Peace played 51 percent of the Lakers' minutes at small forward, but he also took 11 percent of the available run at power forward. 

Him transitioning to a bigger spot in the lineup—though not necessarily a bigger role—actually makes sense, especially for a team in need of a capable backup at the position. 

1. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are Metta World Peace's No. 1 choice, and he's correct to feel that way. There's just too much about Madison Square Garden for him to like. 

First of all, New York is home for World Peace. The veteran small forward was born in Queens, went to La Salle Academy in New York City and then attended St. John's for his college days. A return home at the end of his career would be a fantastic option for him. 

Of course, that's irrelevant if MWP can't get playing time and compete for a title. And that won't be a problem in New York. 

The feisty defender's playing style fits in perfectly with the system that Mike Woodson runs for the Knicks. He shoots threes often and effectively, and he plays lockdown defense that forces turnovers on the part of his opponents. 

New York currently has no backup for Carmelo Anthony at small forward—literally no one. 

Obviously, World Peace would be able to change that, and he could also work his way into the starting lineup when Melo inevitably lines up at power forward once more. Can you imagine a starting lineup of Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, MWP, Melo and Tyson Chandler? 

That would be a pretty solid unit, especially with J.R. Smith, Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani providing scoring boosts off the bench. 

There's a lot to like about New York as a potential landing spot for World Peace. The combination of his desire and the natural fit the Knicks present leave them as the No. 1 destination. 

Quite frankly, it's not even close.