Jose Calderon's first season with the New York Knicks didn't go as well as he or the team would have hoped. Calderon dealt with injuries and didn't perform well after being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks via trade. Calderon has been a part of a lot of trade rumors this offseason as the Knicks try to improve their team, but he remains confident that he will be in New York when the season starts, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Knicks expressed interest in trading for Jamal Crawford earlier this offseason, and in order to get that trade done, they would likely have to include Calderon to make the salaries matchup. The Knicks would love to move on from Calderon, but he is going to be difficult to trade because of his contract situation. The 34-year-old Spain native is signed for the next two seasons at more than $7 million per year, which a lot of teams won't want to take on especially with his declining production.
The way the Knicks roster is currently constructed, Calderon figures to be the starting point guard. The other two options are Langston Galloway who showed flashes last year but is still an unknown, or rookie Jerian Grant, who is also a question mark entering his first season in the league. Calderon says that he likes the new look of the team and that he thinks he will fit in nicely. Calderon also said that despite the rumors, he had a feeling that he would be back with the Knicks.
"You never know in the NBA, but I was pretty confident after the exit meetings, knowing the players they were looking for, the way we were going, they were counting on me coming back," said Calderon.
In just 42 games with the Knicks a season ago, Calderon averaged just 9.1 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting a career low 42 percent from the field. Calderon did still shoot 42 percent from three point range, but he is going to have to be much better this coming season in order for the Knicks to somehow compete in the Eastern Conference.
