Shortly after coming to terms with Jose Calderon on a $415,000 deal for their 15th roster spot, Kevin Durant hurt his left knee, and the Golden State Warriors had to let the veteran guard go to make room for Matt Barnes.
But don’t feel bad for Calderon: he got a nice chunk of change and a sure-to-be coveted unworn jersey out of the whole thing.
Warriors sign Matt Barnes, waive Jose Calderon. But there was still this jersey outside of the visiting locker room in Chicago: pic.twitter.com/EKUFUlMUZM
— Michael Singer (@msinger) March 2, 2017
Dubs head coach Steve Kerr said the front-office honoring the pact was a no-brainer.
Steve Kerr on the decision to still pay Jose Calderon what was agreed upon: "There was no way Joe Lacob was not going to honor it" pic.twitter.com/Pic59IiVbP
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 3, 2017
Per the Mercury News:
“That was difficult,” Steve Kerr said. “Jose got a buyout from the Lakers specifically to come to us. He had several other team interested in him that wanted him. He chose us ahead of them.”
Kerr was left to make the call to Calderon and tell him what happened. But instead of just apologizing for the misfortune and wishing him good luck, the Warriors decided to honor the financial agreement. So they officially signed Calderon and then released him 80 minutes later, paying him $415,000 for his troubles. In an often ruthless world, it was a respectable business move.
“There was no way Joe Lacob was not going to honor it,” Kerr said. “Everything we do here is first class. You guys know that. The way we treat our players, the way we go about our business. There was never even a doubt. Joe said: ‘The guy took a $400-thousand dollar pay cut to leave the Lakers. There’s no way we’re going to leave him out to dry.’”
