Lakers Trade Rumors: L.A. Should Take Risk on Jose Calderon

The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to want to acquire a point guard before the trade deadline, and the name Jose Calderon has come up as someone the team could be interested in making a play for.

The Lakers have reportedly inquired about Calderon over the past few days.

Calderon would put a big boost into their point guard play, as Derek Fisher and Steve Blake have shared those duties the entire season.

Calderon is averaging 10.9 points and 8.8 assists this season. Those numbers would help the Lakers substantially, especially in heir hopes of making a good run in the playoffs.

The risk comes in when we talk about Calderon's $9.8 million salary, which the Lakers would ideally want to fit inside Lamar Odom's exception when he left for the Dallas Mavericks. The Raptors would not be willing to take any salary back, either.

For now, that is not going to happen, and either the Lakers will have to move on and find another point guard to pursue or take the hard hit in hopes of advancing this team further in the NBA playoffs than they would without him.

That may be just it. Calderon is exactly the type of player the Lakers need. He could really help take the load off Kobe Bryant, as well as provide a sure-handed point guard who understands his role on the team.

Los Angeles seems to be feeling the pressure of acquiring a point guard for a determined run deep in the playoffs. They have already been linked to Gilbert Arenas and Rajon Rondo, among others, and they understand that now may be as good a time as ever to claim a solid ball-handler.

Without a point guard, the Lakers are severe underdogs to the Thunder, Clippers and Spurs, so we can understand how important it would be for Los Angeles to land a player at the point to coincide with Bryant.