NBA Trade Rumors: Could New York Knicks Trade Jose Calderon to Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets?
The New York Knicks have been abysmal this season.
With a 4-20 record, the Knicks have the most losses in the National Basketball Association, even more than the Philadelphia 76ers. The team has lost their last 10 consecutive games, sit in fourth place in the Atlantic division and are 13th overall in the Eastern Conference. Even Dennis Rodman criticized the Knicks' coaching and poor play this season.
With this season pretty much lost (again) in the Big Apple, it would be wise for the Knicks to try and get value for the players on their roster. The Knicks won't be ending their 1973 Championship drought anytime soon.
Many NBA experts believe the Knicks will shop and attempt to trade point guard Jose Calderon. The 33-year-old from Villanueva de la Serena, Spain has shown great passing skills throughout his career, mainly with the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks. Calderon averages nearly seven assists per game while making an outstanding 87.4 percent of his free throws.
It's not Calderon's fault. It's just the Knicks aren't presently capable of running an effective triangle offense with Derek Fisher coaching the team.
Calderon is under contract until the 2016-17 season.
There's plenty of teams who could use a young point guard like Calderon. One team who is ready to win now but has passing issues is the Miami Heat. The Heat currently rank 20th overall in assists per game. Without LeBron James, Mario Chalmers has been struggling to distribute the ball and make plays. Dwyane Wade leads the Heat in assists per game with just 5.8, and Calderon would be a perfect fit in their system with Chris Bosh.
The Heat are 10-12, and their season may be slipping away.
Another quality team that may want to make a trade with the Knicks for Calderon is the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are soaring high at 17-5 in the NBA standings, but they lack an elite point guard. The Rockets rank 26th overall in assists per game, and Patrick Beverley has been battling a hamstring injury. James Harden, who leads the NBA in scoring, also leads the Rockets in assists with 143. Rookie Kostas Papanikolaou out of Greece has the second-highest number of assists with just 57.
The Rockets need a point guard, and Calderon could be their guy. It's unlikely the Rockets will re-sign Jeremy Lin, but Calderon is fully capable of playing in the Southwest division having previously played for the Mavericks.
The Los Angeles Lakers may even want to throw in a bid for the veteran point guard. Similar to the Knicks, the Lakers have a terrible record (6-16), and it's time to rebuild. The Lakers currently rank 23rd overall in assists, and Jeremy Lin isn't fitting in with Kobe Bryant, the latter who has a team-leading 107 assists; that's not a good sign for player who makes his mark by scoring the basketball.
Lin is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, and it's extremely unlikely the Lakers will re-sign him. Lin -- and Carlos Boozer -- was recently benched, leaving a lot of doubt on the Lakers future at point guard. Many believe Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is an option for the Lakers, but there's no telling which team he will choose in free agency. Calderon could be a good low-cost option for the Lakers, especially with Bryant nearing retirement.
Rumors have been swirling that Carmelo Anthony may waive his no trade clause with the team, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Trading away Anthony would certainly save the Knicks a lot of salary cap space.
The NBA Trade deadline is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 at 3 p.m. EST.
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