Lakers Trade Rumors: Acquiring Jose Calderon Would Be a Disaster for LA
It's no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers need to improve at point guard before the March 15 NBA trade deadline, but acquiring Jose Calderon from the Toronto Raptors is a situation that has disaster written all over it.
The Lakers are reportedly interested in the Raptors point guard, but there are a few stumbling blocks preventing a possible deal from happening.
"Sources say that the Lakers are also among the teams that have inquired about Raptors guard Jose Calderon, but Calderon's $9.8 million salary is too big to fit into the Odom exception. And Toronto isn't willing to take any salary back for either Calderon or Barbosa to work a trade otherwise.
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Calderon is a decent player, but he wouldn't be a significant upgrade over current point guards Steve Blake or Derek Fisher.
Calderon is a pretty good foul shooter, but he won't dominate offensively. He's only been able to average about nine to 12 points per game during his career in Toronto playing alongside some average at best offensive players.
Calderon's lack of playoff experience also makes him a poor choice to bring in for the Lakers. He's only played in two playoff series, but none since the 2005-06 season. He's also never made it out of the first round.
The Lakers can find better ways to use their trade exception for Odom. Cleveland Cavaliers backup point guard Ramon Sessions is a tremendous player who is young and can score consistently. He'd be a better fit than Calderon. Gilbert Arenas is a free agent also and would be a very inexpensive signing.
The trade exception is very valuable to the Lakers, and they must use it wisely. There are better options at point guard out there than Calderon. He's simply not worth acquiring when you look at his salary compared to his production.
