By any measure, José Calderón will go down in history as an international basketball legend. A three-time Olympic medalist with the Spanish national team, Calderon holds the NBA record for free throw percentage in a single season (98.1% in 2009) and is one of only eight players ever to enter the NBA’s illustrious “40-50-90” club. Still, in spite of his tremendous individual achievements, Calderon had only reached the playoffs three times in his career entering this season.
So when the Lakers waived Calderon on Feb. 27 to clear up playing time for their young prospects, the 12-year NBA veteran understandably prioritized finding a winning destination in his free agent search.