Detroit Pistons: 3 reasons Jose Calderon is a good move
By Amaar Burton
Jose Calderon won’t do much to move the needle forward for the Detroit Pistons, but the veteran point guard won’t actively hurt the team either.
While other teams around the NBA are bringing out their fanciest lures and bait to catch the biggest fish in the 2018 free agent pool, the Detroit Pistons are essentially out here with a single worm on a hook.
The Pistons can’t expect to reel in a whopper; they just need to get enough to eat next season.
Jose Calderon is one of those low-key additions that the Pistons have no choice but to make this summer with their limited amount of money to spend while avoiding the league’s luxury tax threshold.
The Pistons agreed to a one-year deal with the veteran point guard on Monday. The 36-year-old is going into his 14th NBA season (he has also played professionally in Spain) having played for eight teams in the league, most recently with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This will be his second stint with the Pistons, with whom he played for briefly in 2013. Calderon also played a season and a half for new Pistons head coach Dwane Casey with the Toronto Raptors.
#Pistons deal with Jose Calderon is for the vet minimum of $2.4M. It seems to be a head-scratcher but the key could be Dwane Casey's familiarity with Calderon in Toronto.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) July 2, 2018
Calderon isn’t expected to make a splash in Detroit. He isn’t going to significantly move the needle one way or another for a franchise that is trying to make it back to the playoffs after a two-year absence and hopefully win a playoff game for the first time since 2008.
It would be a reach to call this a great move or a terrible move. More accurately, it’s a harmless one that has more positives than negatives. Here are three reasons why Calderon makes sense for the Pistons.