Lakers sign Metta World Peace to reported 1-year, non-guaranteed deal

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Metta World Peace for a second time, the team announced Thursday.

The 35-year-old will join the Lakers on a non-guaranteed one-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports.

World Peace spent most of the past month working out at the Lakers' training facility, which sparked plenty of speculation in regards to a potential NBA comeback, despite World Peace's denial.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak acknowledged two weeks ago that the team was considering bringing in World Peace and praised the former Laker for his work ethic.

World Peace's leadership might be the underlying motivation behind Kupchak's decision. The 15-year NBA veteran worked with Lakers rookie Julius Randle on his rehab from a leg injury this summer.

As for World Peace's on-court abilities, the former Laker could presumably still hold down a bench role as a defense-first forward. World Peace played 29 games for the New York Knicks in 2014, his last appearance in the NBA, before the affable forward took his talents to China and Italy.

The non-guaranteed nature of World Peace's contract suggests that the veteran signed a training camp deal. The Lakers have three open spots on their roster and World Peace would battle Tarik Black, Jabari Brown, Marcelo Huertas, Robert Upshaw, Michael Frazier, and Jonathan Holmes for a spot.