Jose Calderon Trade Tracker: Latest Updates on Raptors Star

A somewhat unexpected hot commodity on the NBA trade block is Raptors point guard Jose Calderon. While he may not be the top player in the league, his name is going to be tossed around in trade rumors until he is either moved or the deadline passes.

Update: Sunday, March 11 at 5:26 p.m.

The ankle injury Calderon sustained against the Pistons doesn't appear to be as bad as originally anticipated.

According to The Star's Doug Smith,

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"The original report was a sprained right ankle — a team spokesman said x-rays at the Palace of Auburn Hills came back negative — and he will be re-evaluated in Toronto on Sunday."

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This certainly doesn't help his trade value this close to the trade deadline, but the Raptors should be thankful the injury wasn't more serious.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Lakers have been interested in the Raptors guard:

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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.

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As would be expected from the passionate Lakers fanbase, this move is being met with different feedback. 

This fan seems annoyed with the constant flow of point guards that may make their way to the City of Angels. 

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So who's the next PG for the @Lakers?Raymond Felton? Jose Calderon? Rajon Rondo? Arenas & Iverson out of the PG sweepstakes? whatabt me.

— Junnie Arreza (@junniearreza) March 6, 2012"

On the other side of the fence is this person, who wants this trade to be a reality right now.

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@Lakers #JoseCalderonLakerSIGN JOSE!!!!! Calderon, Kobe, SF, Pau and Bynum! CHAMPIONS!!

— Adrián Rodríguez (@adri8kobe) March 6, 2012"

Final Say: It's hard to gauge exactly what the trade would be, but Calderon is not a player that can't be replaced. 

The bottom line is that this is a 30-year-old, 10-points-per-game point guard. Teams like the Lakers are desperate for point guard help. In that state of desperation, they would likely overpay to get him. 

Calderon is not a franchise type of player, nor is he even close. The Raptors should absolutely pull the trigger on a deal here. 

The thing is that this move also makes sense for the Lakers. Calderon would be a significant upgrade over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.

This is a team that desperately needs a point guard if they plan on making a run in the playoffs. Their window to win is extremely short, and if they fail to acquire a point guard, Los Angeles may well be passing up on their last real chance to win a championship.

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