NBA Trade Rumors: Chicago Bulls Sending Jose Calderon To Los Angeles Lakers

Sometimes, NBA players never get to put on the uniform of a team that traded for them. According to NBC Sports, the Chicago Bulls are trading Jose Calderon to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls found themselves in an unexpected position of needing to clear salary cap space once Dwyane Wade shocked the sports world by leaving the Miami Heat.

Negotiations between Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat president Pat Riley grew contentious, much like it did last summer before the two sides came to an agreement. Many in the NBA figured that they would work things out, but Wade finally decided to divorce the only professional team he has ever played for.

While giving serious considerations to the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, Dwyane Wade eventually decided to continue his NBA career with his hometown Chicago Bulls. Before the signing could be finalized, though, the Bulls needed to get rid of some players to make room for Wade.

Jose Calderon to the Lakers. https://t.co/aF5yXJcXBo pic.twitter.com/qQyfGVze58

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) July 7, 2016

According to Lakers Nation, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a veteran point guard to serve as a mentor to Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell. Both are young guards with a ton of potential, but they need someone to settle them down whenever they start playing out of control.

Jose Calderon should also be quite an asset to Luke Walton, who was recently hired as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Since this is the first time holding the lead job permanently, having an experienced guard like Calderon will make the job a little easier for Walton.

Fortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, Jose Calderon is pretty versatile. He’s an excellent shooter who knows where to be on the court, so he doesn’t always have to have the ball in his hands. That bodes well for both Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell because both of them love having the ball in their hands.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Lakers are absorbing the $7.7 million salary owed to Jose Calderon. The franchise still had some room on their salary cap because they were unable to lure in any of the big name free agents this offseason.

It has not been revealed yet what else the Los Angeles Lakers are receiving aside from Jose Calderon, but the belief is that the Chicago Bulls will be sending a future draft pick or two as a show of appreciation for the Lakers helping the Bulls sign Dwyane Wade.

With the arrival of Jose Calderon, this could mean that Marcelo Huertas may be on the way out. Huertas had an up-and-down season for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, but he did show some signs of being a useful player towards the end of a rotation.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Lakers are said to be sending the draft rights to an undetermined player to the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers needed to send something back in order to make the trade legitimate.

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t giving up much in this deal. The player they’re sending away is more than likely someone who could have problems making it in the NBA. In return, they receive a veteran player like Jose Calderon that can secure himself a spot in the Lakers rotation.

In the span of a few days, Jose Calderon has gone from the New York Knicks to the Chicago Bulls to the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s a very good chance that he could be on the move again next summer, as he is in the final year of his contract with a team that is focused on rebuilding towards the future.

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