Atlanta Hawks claim Jose Calderon off waivers

The Atlanta Hawks have claimed backup point guard Jose Calderon off of waivers, filling their need for a backup point guard behind Dennis Schroder.

Jose Calderon has a had a crazy week, but it seems the Atlanta Hawks just put an end to that.

Saturday morning it was reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Hawks have claimed Calderon off waivers.

At first Calderon was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, getting 11 starts on the year until he reached a buyout with the Lakers and focused his attention on joining the Golden State Warriors.

It was reported earlier in the week from ESPN’s Marc Stein that Atlanta had interest in signing the backup point guard. Calderon will bring Atlanta some vetern experience at the point guard position behind Dennis Schroder, where rookie Malcolm Delaney struggles. He will also bring Atlanta versaility off the bench with his ability to play either position on top of his long range shooting.

The Hawks will be on the hooks for Calderon’s $400,0000 contract for the rest of the season. Atlanta lucked up greatly with this because they had a roster spot open, so they didn’t have to make any additional moves, not to mention their desperate need for a backup point guard. Now Schroder doesn’t have to do everything with the Hawks having another option behind him to give him rest.

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The Warriors had targeted Calderon after his buyout with the Lakers, with the likeness of adding a third string backup with vetern experience. Additionally, Golden State committed to sign Calderon for the rest of the season until Kevin Durant’s injury forced a change of plans with the signing of Matt Barnes to fill his absence. Golden State kept their promise to Calderon by signing him by then releasing him just two hours later, allowing the Hawks to eventually sweep right in and upgrade the backup point guard position.