Jose Calderon would like to return to the Knicks next season, even if it means giving up his role as starting point guard, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. If he comes back, Calderon will earn $7.6MM in the final year of his contract. However, the Knicks have made no secret of their desire to find a new point guard, and it’s possible that Calderon could be traded or even waived through the stretch provision, which would allow the team to open about $5MM in extra cap space for this summer. That would leave the Knicks with less cap flexibility for 2017 and 2018, however. “I’ll figure it out when the season is over,” Calderon said. “There’s still a few games left, still a year left on my contract. I always say you’re one call away. You never know what’s going to happen. We’ll figure it out after the season.”
There’s more news tonight regarding the Knicks and the Atlantic Division:
- Interim Knicks coach Kurt Rambis believes Kings point guard Rajon Rondo could be successful in the triangle offense, Berman writes in the same piece, citing an unidentified source. Rondo signed a one-year deal with Sacramento in free agency last offseason and is expected to be highly sought after this summer.
- Injured Sixers center Joel Embiid is making a second trip to the Aspetar medical facility in Qatar, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Several team officials accompanied him on this visit, as Embiid undergoes more treatment for his surgically repaired right foot.
- The twice-delayed right knee surgery for Sixers rookie center Jahlil Okafor has been scheduled for Tuesday, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports.
- The Nets are apparently taking a long look at Sergey Karasev before the season ends, according to NetsDaily. The fourth-year swingman made his first start of the season Thursday and his minutes have been increasing this month. It’s possible that new GM Sean Marks is auditioning Karasev after Brooklyn elected to decline the option for next season on his rookie contract. The option would have eaten up $2,463,754 in cap flexibility this summer, when the Nets are hoping to make a strong push for free agents.