It is very clear that Phil Jackson has not allegiance to Jose Calderon as a long-term option for the New York Knicks. Upon being named team president, Jackson's first big trade involved sending Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Calderon and other assets. The veteran was expected to stabilize the position for the Knicks, something they desperately needed. However, heading into the trade deadline, Jackson is doing everything he can to get rid of Calderon.
The issue with Calderon is his contract. The veteran is owed $7.4 million in 2015 and $7.7 million in 2016. The Knicks are cutting costs heading into free agency and plan on the only long-term contract being on the pay roll come the summer belonging to Carmelo Anthony. There is clearly no room for Calderon and according to Yahoo's Marc Stein, the Knicks are aggressively seeking a trade.
His contract is extremely undesirable and when paired with that fact that he is 34 and on the decline, a trade for Calderon will be a challenge. The point guard is struggling heavily to find his place in the triangle offense while averaging just 9.2 points a game while shooting 42 percent from the field. Jackson will have to lower his asking price by a lot in order to dump the contract.
Calderon could get traded to team in desperation. Right now, several playoff bubble teams need point guard upgrades. The Detroit Pistons lost Brandon Jennings. The Charlotte Bobcats lost Kemba Walker. Both teams along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets are eyeing players like Norris Cole or Pablo Prigioni instead simply because their contracts a more manageable. If Jackson lowers the price on Calderon, he might be able to dump the point guard to whichever team misses out on the other options.
Calderon is expendable for the Knicks. The team is benefitting from a highly motivated Langston Galloway who earned a contract extension after excelling through two 10-day deals. They also have Tim Hardaway Jr shooting the ball well which means Jackson is free to push a Calderon trade all he wants.
The problem for Jackson is that several other players are available with more desirable deals. Goran Dragic is working off an expired contract with the Phoenix Suns. The Brooklyn Nets have most of their players available. Unloading Calderon's contract might be the best move for New York, but it is not the best move for other teams.
