In the NBA, all it takes is a split second for everything to change. In the case of Jose Calderon, all it took was a Zaza Pachulia stumble. He fell back into the knee of Kevin Durant, causing Durant’s knee to hyperextend. It looked somewhat similar to the way Andrew Bynum was injured by Kobe Bryant back in 2009, and one has to hope that Durant’s injury is not as serious.
Unfortunately for the Golden State Warriors, there is no way to fully replace Durant. We don’t know the severity of his injury just yet, but according to it’s serious enough that they have decided to bring on extra help on the wing in the form of Matt Barnes.
The issue is that the Warriors had already planned on signing Jose Calderon, who was just released by the Lakers. Now, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Warriors will immediately release Calderon in order to sign Barnes:
Sources tell Haynes and me that the Warriors plan to sign Jose Calderon as they promised but then waive him to make room for Matt Barnes.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 1, 2017
This is a tough turn of events for Calderon, who approached the Lakers to secure a buyout so that he could join a contender. Minutes were scarce with the Lakers, who are committed to giving their young players plenty of opportunities. The good news for Calderon is that he will still be playoff eligible after this release.
Now, with a great fit in Golden State off the table, Calderon will have to seek out another team to join up with if he intends to continue his career. The Cleveland Cavaliers are off the table now that they have added Deron Williams, and Houston added Lou Williams at the trade deadline.
Perhaps a team like the San Antonio Spurs or Toronto Raptors could give Calderon a shot, but if not it will be interesting to see where he eventually ends up.
