It appears that Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas (also known as Marcelinho Huertas) does not have a deal with Galatasaray, despite reports to the contrary by Turkish media. Agent Gerard Darnes of Octagon Basketball took to Twitter (h/t Sportando) to declare that Huertas is focused on the NBA and he added that agent Alex Saratsis is still talking with some NBA clubs.
In late April, we heard that the guard was looking to make the jump to the NBA in 2015/16. Then, a May report indicated that Huertas would remain with his Spanish club, FC Barcelona. For the time being, it appears that Huertas will resist overtures from overseas clubs with the intent of signing with an NBA team.
“This is the right time,” the 31-year-old told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports back in April. “[Rockets guard] Pablo Prigioni is the guy most likely to get compared to me, because our career trajectory had been similar in Europe. And like him, I can run a team without worrying about scoring.”
Huertas was effectively blocked from coming to the United States in the past because his contracts contained exorbitant buyouts. In 29 games for FC Barcelona this past season, the 6’3″ Huertas averaged 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. As Huertas told Wojnarowski, he’s anxious to bring his dynamic playmaking and leadership abilities to the Association.
“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,” Huertas said in the spring. “Those are things I know I’ll be able to bring with me.”
David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link) first reported Huertas’ NBA aspirations back in April.