The Los Angeles Lakers buying out veteran point guard Jose Calderon has been rumored for the past couple of days now and there are even reports about who is the favorite to sign him even before anything was made official.
The two sides have finally come to an agreement however as the Lakers have agreed to buy out Calderon according to Shams Charania of The Vertical:
The Lakers have waived guard Jose Calderon, clearing way for Calderon to sign with Golden State, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 27, 2017
By getting this done now, Calderon will be eligible to play in the playoffs wherever he signs. This was an obvious move for the Lakers to make as Calderon does not fit in the Lakers’ plans of looking towards the future.
The 35-year old veteran is not in the rotation, seeing the floor only once in the past 10 games. With the Lakers looking to increase minutes for D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson as well as give the recently acquired Tyler Ennis a look, Calderon was highly unlikely to see the court again this season.
The Warriors recently let Briante Weber go following a 10-day contract, opening up a roster spot for Calderon. He could provide the Warriors with more shooting and some backcourt depth ahead of the playoffs.
In addition to assuring the Lakers have minutes to give to their young guards, this also opens up a roster spot for the team in case they want to give someone a look down the stretch of the season. They were one of the teams to meet with Larry Sanders, and there are always players from the NBA D-League that they could bring up to take a look at if they want.
Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)
