Golden State Warriors honor commitment to pay NBA journeyman $392,000 despite cutting him 2 hours after he was signed
Calderon was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers after the trade deadline so he could pursue joining a more competitive team.
After playing for five different teams and making the playoffs just three times in 11 years, he reached an agreement with the Warriors to be a backup point guard.
However, after Kevin Durant sprained his knee on Tuesday, keeping him sidelined for at least four weeks, the Warriors were desperate for help on the wings. So, the team decided that veteran forward Matt Barnes would be a better addition to the team.
Since Calderon had not yet signed with the Warriors, they could have just backed out of the deal with him at no cost. Instead, the Warriors still signed Calderon on Wednesday and agreed to pay him the veteran's minimum for the rest of the season. They then cut him later in the day to make room for Barnes.
According to Spotrac, the prorated salary is $392,478. That's nearly $400,000 for less than a day with the team. In fact, the Warriors PR department announced Calderon's signing and waiving within two hours.
Calderon is now a free agent and will look to join another team.
In the meantime, he has to at least respect the Warriors honoring such a commitment, despite the fact that he never even had time to practice.