The Raptors have long been thought to be ready to move on from Jose Calderon as their point guard. Despite missing on Damian Lillard in the draft, the Raptors addressed their need at the position with a trade for Houston's Kyle Lowry. Lowry's arrival means the crack shot Calderon is expendable. But will it be trade or use of the amnesty clause?
ESPN reports that the Raptors and Calderon's agent Mark Bartelstein are working on a trade solution:
"There's a little bit of a logjam there in the backcourt now," Bartelstein said. "Bryan and I are talking and we're putting our heads together to see what we can do to find a solution."
Sources close to the situation say Calderon, while undeniably attached to the city of Toronto after spending his entire six-year NBA career there, is hoping the Raptors can find a trade home for him now that it's been made clear the Raptors have no plans to release the Spaniard through the NBA's amnesty clause.
The Raptors, sources say, are open to a trade but want to send Calderon to a team with salary-cap space that can absorb the Spaniard's $10.6 million salary, thereby creating a trade exception for Toronto and giving them added financial flexibility for further moves.
via Toronto Raptors, Jose Calderon working together on trade - ESPN Dallas.
The Raptors can wait to find the right suitor for Calderon. He's not going to complain about hanging out in Toronto and they need to make sure they get good value for him. Calderon is one of the best pure shooting point guards in the league and can run the pick-and-roll. Even at $10.6 million for next season, he's a decent asset for any team, able to fill in with a starter injured or put up solid numbers off the bench.
The Lakers had been a potential suitor, but the Steve Nash trade ended that. With the luxury of moving Calderon, Colangelo will gain more flexibility, which is important after he gave Landry Fields $20 million for almost no reason whatsoever.
