Lakers announce signing of top international guard Marcelo Huertas
The Los Angeles Lakers announced the signing of Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas on Wednesday.
Generally considered one of the top guards playing outside the NBA, Huertas reportedly joins the Lakers on a non-guaranteed, rookie-scale minimum $525,000 deal.
The 32-year-old has spent the last four seasons with Barcelona of the Spanish ACB league, helping lead one of the top teams outside of the NBA.
Last season, Huertas averaged 7.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while knocking down 35.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. Over the last four seasons, the 6-foot-3 Huertas has canned 36.6 percent of his outside looks.
He's also been a stalwart on the Brazilian national team, though he sat out this summer's FIBA Americas Championship since Brazil has an automatic bid for the 2016 Olympics. He impressed at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 assists in seven games.
The floor general had previously indicated he was ready to make the jump to the NBA, saying it was "the right time." That's great news for the Lakers, who procure an experienced veteran to help mentor their young guard duo of Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell.