In three days, Earvin "Magic" Johnson made two trades.
After reportedly agreeing to send Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a late first round draft pick, Johnson made a final hour NBA Trade Deadline move to send point guard Marcelo Huertas to the Houston Rockets for Tyler Ennis per Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical at Yahoo! Sports. Houston expects to waive Huertas, meaning the 33-year-old Brazilian's NBA adventure likely comes to an end short of two seasons.
For fans in LA, Huertas will likely always be remembered as "The Catalyst," a nickname that he acquired when former coach Byron Scott credited the backup point guard with coming in and rescuing a game.
Ennis, who played at Syracuse University as an undergraduate, is a 22-year-old, 6-foot 2-inch point guard. Into his third NBA season after being drafted by Phoenix in the 2014 NBA Draft with the no. 18 overall pick, Ennis has only averaged 11.5 minutes and made eight starts in his two-plus years in the NBA.
While the former Orangeman may not be a savior of the franchise, he likely provides more hope for improvement than a fully mature Huertas. Like Huertas, Ennis' contract runs out at the end of the season, so the Lakers are not on the hook for anything beyond the current year.
All-in-all, the Huertas for Ennis trade isn't a blockbuster, but the Lakers get a close look at an underdeveloped talent and can provide Ennis with regular NBA minutes freed up since Williams is no longer with the team.
For Ennis and the Lakers, this is a win-win situation.
