Last offseason, the New York Knicks traded away Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton while receiving Jose Calderon in return from the Dallas Mavericks. As savvy veteran, everyone believed that Calderon could be the stabilizing point guard the Knicks needed. Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson expressed their excitement over Calderon. However, things did not go as plan and Calderon never truly developed into what New York needed. Now a decision must be made about his future.
According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, Jackson wants Calderon gone. The team president has made several attempts to trade the veteran and even expressed his disappoint that a deal was not found during the mid-season deadline. Now with the offseason approaching, Jackson will make shipping Calderon out of New York a priority. However, that might not end up being the case.
Spotrac.com reports that Knicks should have upwards of $25.5 million to spend in free agency if the salary cap remains as is. Calderon will take up $7.4 million of that if he remains on the team. The Knicks do not want that, but they might not be able to get rid of it. Calderon was not a star this season. He struggled to adapt to the triangle offense and is now out for the year with an Achilles injury. His stock and value did not grow. He played in just 42 games while averaging 10.8 points and 5.6 assists.
The Knicks want an elite point guard. According to the New York Post the team is chasing players like Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Goran Dragic, Reggie Jackson and Brandon Knight. All of those options will require more money. There is simply no room for Calderon who still has $15.1 million remaining on his contract over the next two seasons. A trade is the only option unless all of those deals sour. If the Knicks cannot get a deal for any of their top options, the end result might be to simply keep him or waive him and re-sign him at a smaller price.
According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, the Knicks might be aggressive in packaging Calderon with someone else. Broussard reports New York already tried it once with Tim Hardaway Jr. They could attempt it again with players like Alexey Shved and Langston Galloway who have really come along this season and are cheap assets to bring on.
