Free agent guard Jorge Gutierrez will head overseas after being cut last month by the Nets, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that Gutierrez is signing with Turkish team Trabzonspor.
An undrafted point guard out of the University of California, Gutierrez has appeared in 47 total NBA games since 2014, debuting for the Nets and also spending time with the Bucks and Hornets. For his career, he has averaged 2.9 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.1 RPG, while shooting 50.0% from the field. Gutierrez has spent more time over the past several seasons in the D-League, playing 122 contests for the Canton Charge.
Gutierrez was one of a handful of players waived by the Nets during preseason roster cutdowns, joining Chase Budinger and a few other teammates on the waiver wire. Like Budinger, he’ll play professional ball internationally rather than heading to Brooklyn’s D-League affiliate with Beau Beech, Yogi Ferrell, and Egidijus Mockevicius.
The timing of the move is interesting, as the Nets may be in need of point guard help, having announced today that Jeremy Lin will miss at least the next two weeks with a strained hamstring. With Greivis Vasquez and Caris LeVert also ailing, the Nets’ backcourt is thin and Gutierrez is a player with whom the club is familiar.
Still, Brooklyn has 15 guaranteed contracts on its books, so the team is unlikely to make a roster move for a short-term fix. And in any case, it seems Gutierrez wouldn’t be an option, now that he has committed to Trabzonspor.