Before the NBA trade deadline this past season, the Los Angeles Lakers completed two separate trades with the Houston Rockets. The first one was guard Lou Williams in exchange for a 2017 first-round draft pick and Corey Brewer.
The second trade was a salary dump for the Lakers, as they were able to haul point guard Marcelo Huertas’ contract to the Rockets in exchange for Tyler Ennis.
Huertas still had one year remaining on his non-guaranteed contract, but was immediately waived by the Rockets and was not picked up by any other NBA team to finish out the season.
The Brazilian native appears to be headed back home, but first he took to Instagram to thank the Lakers organization and fans:
A post shared by Marcelinho Huertas (@marcelinhohuertas) on
Huertas spent two seasons with the Lakers after spending the first part of his career in Europe. In 2015-16 he appeared in 53 games, averaging 4.5 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game.
That earned him a new contract with the Lakers, although he appeared in just 23 games this past season averaging 2.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 10.3 minutes. per game.
The 33-year-old has enjoyed a long professional basketball career, beginning in 2004 at just 20 years of age. While his NBA career is likely over, there is a good chance he will catch on somewhere and continue playing.