With the NBA trade deadline only a few weeks away and rumors swirling all over the league about potential deals and trade scenarios, the Los Angeles Lakers were bound to mentioned one way or another. Veteran point guard Jose Calderon appears to be the player on the team involved in a rumor, but not regarding a potential trade.
Apparently, there’s been a rumor floating around about Calderon possibly wanting to return to Europe to play for Real Madrid. Calderon, who has no idea where that rumor came from, denies any interest in making that move, via Sportando.com:
“Someone said I was going to Real Madrid. The truth is that the person who wrote this should change his sources. I am not returning to Europe. I don’t from where this rumor came from” Calderon told Efe. “The next days in the NBA will be very important. There will be trades. I have a contract and anything can happen. I feel healthy and I want to play. But I can’t control my future.”
One of the last moves the Lakers made in the NBA offseason was acquiring Calderon from the Chicago Bulls. The trade gave the Lakers a veteran presence in the backcourt and some security behind starter D’Angelo Russell.
Although Calderon has been praised for his leadership in the locker room, the journeyman hasn’t seen much time on the floor in his first season with the Lakers. At 35, Calderon has played in only 23 games thus far averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 assists per game in 12.4 minutes per contest.
Calderon is playing in the last year of his deal and will become an unrestricted free agent in July.
