Metta World Peace has yet to sign any kind of contract with the Lakers. But he seems to understand the difficulty he'll have returning to the NBA if the Lakers pass on him.
World Peace still considers himself one of the best players on earth but questions whether he can co-exist with just any instruction, the New York Daily News reported.
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"I work out. I'm still one of the best small forwards in the world but my career has been up and down," he said in an interview with the Daily News. "With my career being up and down, some teams are like, 'Can we use Metta World Peace, where is he going to fit in? Is he going to be good for the rookies? Can he still play?' I'm still one of the best small forwards in the world so that's not a question. But the question is can I actually fit into a team and can a coach coach me? Those are realistic questions and it's cool. I still train to be one of the best."
World Peace added that his agent tried to reach out to NBA teams but received zero interest.
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"Not because I'm not one of the best -- I could take anyone's spot if I really wanted to," he said. "But there are other things my career has started off with controversy. Sometimes I wasn't great in the locker room. So there are questions I have to always answer."
The 15-year NBA veteran, who will turn 36 in November, averaged 13.8 points and 4.7 rebounds during his career. He was granted his release with the Knicks after 29 games during the 2013-14 season, and he played in China and Italy last season.
The Lakers have been considering offering him a job so he can mentor power forward Julius Randle and other young Lakers. World Peace denies he'll hold a grudge against Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak if it doesn't happen.
"Me and Mitch have a cool relationship but we have not talked about me coming back to the Lakers," World Peace told the Daily News. "I call Mitch about other things. We just have a good relationship. Whether I come to the Lakers or not, me and Mitch would still be cool."
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