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Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers have 'interest' in Jose Calderon

Would Los Angeles buy him out? It doesn’t sound particularly likely.

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers turn to the Los Angeles Lakers and the greatest lob throwing pig farmer in NBA history as their search for a “f**king playmaker” continues? According to Marc Stein of ESPN, it's a possibility.

Stein reports that "Jose Calderon and Dallas Mavericks center Andrew Bogut, league sources tell ESPN.com, have emerged as two players who greatly interest the Cavs in their search for bench help."

The issue, as Stein notes, is that Cavaliers have little in the way of trade assets to offer the Lakers and will likely just wait to see if Calderon is bought out.

That might not be in the cards unless Calderon wants out, according to John Ireland of ESPN.

“I think as [injury] insurance, since they have him under contract, they’d like to keep him,” Ireland told Locked on Lakers last month. “But they have so much respect for him — particularly Luke [Walton] thinks so highly of Calderon — that if Calderon were to ask them for his release, then it would be hard for the Lakers to just dismiss it. They like him so much I think they would try and keep him happy.”

Ireland also mentioned that the Lakers appreciate the job Calderon has done in mentoring the Lakers’ young guards, as well as how he’s been able to fill in for Russell in spot duty, so it doesn’t sound as if this particular rumor will become reality any time soon.

Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.

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