Jose Calderon reiterates his commitment to Toronto Raptors – NBA News
Jose Calderon’s name might not come up in the list of truly amazing point guards playing in the NBA but he has averaged 9.9 points per game for his career. And that to on a team like the Toronto Raptors who have been struggling
especially since the departure of Chris Bosh.
He even put up 10.5 points and 8.8 rebounds last season which is very respectable for an above average point guard. However despite his accolades for the team, Calderon has been at the forefront of trade rumours and it is believed
that he is quite unhappy, especially since the arrival of Kyle Lowry during the summer.
In a recent interview to Toronto Star though, the player himself has come out to deny all the rumours and declared his motivation to play for the team.
“I don’t know if we have to use that word (controversy) before even training camp,” said Calderon. “I think we are just two more players for the Raptors team, we’re going to try to win games for the Raptors.”
“I think it’s just wanting to make a big thing before anything has started. It doesn’t matter, we have to win games, we want to make the playoffs. If he scores 20 points a game, I’ll be happy; it’s helping us win.”
The Spaniard has definitely made a positive start by denying any kind of rumours and declaring his dedication towards the team, but it is fact that he has a huge contract which the Raps want to rid off in order to be more flexible
financially. Calderon is entering into the last year of his current contract which is worth $10.6 million, and that is an amount more than the talent justifies.
The player perhaps knows that.
What he also knows is that if traded, he may land up on a team, without a championship pedigree as almost all the contenders have become financially saturated during the hectic off season. The best case scenario for Calderon will
be to play out this season and then analyze the options as a free agent next summer. Him being a good spot shooter will definitely help in getting a decent contract on a capable team.
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