Mutual Interest Between Jose Calderon, Cavs

The Cavaliers have targeted veteran free agent Jose Calderon to be their backup point guard, reports Jason Lloyd of The Athletic (via Twitter). According to Lloyd, the interest between the Cavs and Calderon is mutual.

Calderon, who will turn 36 this fall, saw his production fall off in 2016/17, as he averaged just 3.4 PPG and 2.1 APG in 41 games with the Lakers and Hawks. The Spaniard’s shooting percentages (.410 FG%, .313 3PT% also represented the worst marks since his rookie season. Still, it appears Cleveland is willing to bet on him having a bounce-back year in 2017/18.

Last season, the Cavs finished the year with Deron Williams as their backup point guard behind Kyrie Irving. Although Williams provided some solid minutes during his time with the team, he looked overmatched in the NBA Finals against the Warriors, making just two of 16 shots in that series.

Assuming the Cavs aren’t able to shed salaries, their ability to add free agents this offseason will come down to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) and the minimum salary exception. If they’re able to work out a deal with Calderon, I’d expect it to be worth the minimum.

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