Lakers Waive Jose Calderon - Sign With Hawks

[key2win]

Lakers waive Jose Calderon, all signs point to Warriors deal

One of the worst-kept secrets of the NBA’s annual March 1 playoff-eligibility waiver deadline looks set to become open reality. Barring a major turn of events, veteran point guard Jose Calderon will join the Golden State Warriors later this week to provide a known quantity at the end of the bench.

The biggest roadblock to the deal was completed on Monday when the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a buyout with Calderon and promptly waived him ahead of Wednesday’s deadline. If Calderon clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team.

All reporting up to this point has indicated that he will join the Warriors, and ESPN’s Marc Stein confirmed as much on Monday afternoon.

[key2win]

Atlanta Hawks plan to sign veteran PG Jose Calderon by Saturday

The Atlanta Hawks plan to sign veteran point guard Jose Calderon as early as Saturday, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Hawks have targeted Calderon to fill their final open roster spot after the Spaniard had initially planned to join the Golden State Warriors upon securing a buyout earlier this week from the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Warriors were forced to abandon their plans to sign Calderon when Kevin Durant suffered an MCL sprain and a bone bruise in his left knee Tuesday night in Washington. Golden State in turn signed Matt Barnes to fill in for Durant.

Golden State went ahead with the signing of Calderon on Wednesday, living up to its promise, but it waived the 35-year-old two hours later to ensure that Calderon would retain playoff eligibility with his next team.

NBA rules dictate players must be waived by March 1 to remain playoff-eligible with their next team.

The Hawks can either try to claim Calderon off waivers themselves Saturday at 5 p.m. and absorb the roughly $400,000 that Golden State owes him for the balance of the season. Or they can choose to sign Calderon to a veteran minimum deal of their own when he clears waivers.