One day after news popped up that point guard Marcelo Huertas was likely coming to the NBA it appears as though he has gotten a deal, just not from the team that had reported interested in him. The Utah Jazz have a need at backup point guard so the interest there made sense but Huertas has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The deal is reportedly not finished yet as they are finalizing details to bring the point guard over to the United States but it will likely be for one year and the minimum amount of just over $500,000. Huertas was previously with FC Barcelona in Spain and has played with the Brazilian national team before including in the 2012 London Olympics.
Huertas has been compared to Pablo Prigioni because of their positions and the fact that they were coming to the United States late but Huertas is a better playmaker and will be playing his first NBA season at 32 years old as opposed to Prigioni who came over at age 35. In the 2012 Olympics with Brazil Huertas averaged 11 points and five assists per game and has said he believes he can be a solid backup point guard in the NBA.
"If you look at NBA rosters, there are unbelievable starting point guards, but maybe not as many guys who can come off the bench able to run the team, score the ball - as well as being able to be a leader for young players, those are things I know I'll be able to bring with me," Huertas said to Wojnarowski in April.
Huertas' fit with the Lakers is a bit interesting as they are loaded with talent at the guard positions. As it stands they have Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell at point guard with Lou Williams, Nick Young and Kobe Bryant among others at shooting guard. Those five guards just named will likely get a lot of playing time so it will be interesting to see how the Lakers work Huertas into the rotation should the deal be finalized.
One option would be to start Clarkson and Russell together as the point and shooting guards respectively with Kobe at small forward. In that scenario Huertas, Williams and Young would make up the second unit in the backcourt. Huertas is a talented player with a lot of experience so the Lakers will find a way to get him minutes it is just a matter of who he will take minutes away from.
