World Peace denies talking comeback with Lakers but 'ready for any scenario'

World Peace may elude the basketball universe a little longer.

While speculation has been heating up that the Los Angeles Lakers could add Metta World Peace to their training camp roster, the former Ron Artest and once-kind-of The Panda's Friend threw a bit of water on those embers Saturday.

Speaking at the Floyd Mayweather-Andre Berto fight, World Peace said he's ready to return to the NBA for the 2015-16 season, but denied having specific contract talks with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

"Me and Mitch have a cool relationship but we have not talked about me coming back to the Lakers," World Peace said. "I call Mitch about other things. We just have a good relationship."

Kupchak said over the weekend that the two sides were "not there yet," but added that he thinks World Peace can offer a team something, even at age 35 and more than a season removed from NBA action. World Peace went on to explain that he's done playing overseas and doesn't know what his immediate future holds, but that he has stayed in game shape. He was also quite confident he can still contribute.

"I'm still one of the best small forwards in the world ... I'm ready for any scenario," he said.

The Lakers have 12 guaranteed contracts and another six players on non-guaranteed deals, so the competition for the team's final roster spots should be intense. Adding the notoriously physical World Peace, who would become a favorite to make the roster, could stand to increase the team's training camp intensity.

When he last played in the NBA, World Peace averaged 4.8 points and two rebounds in 29 games for the New York Knicks. He was far more productive in Italy and China last season, averaging 16.4 points and 5.1 rebounds and knocking down 35.3 percent of his threes across the two leagues.

An NBA veteran of 15 years with six different teams, World Peace has appeared in 931 regular-season games, averaging 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. He's a one-time All-Star, one-time NBA champion, and a former Defensive Player of the Year - the last non-big to win the award in almost 20 years until Kawhi Leonard won it this past season.