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Nets sign Jorge Gutierrez to two-year deal

By Reed Wallach
Brooklyn Nets

The Nets announced Friday morning that they have signed Jorge Gutierrez for not only the remainder of the season, but to a "multi-year," that is, a two-year deal with the second year partially-guaranteed, The move gives the Nets two rookies and three international players: Gutierrez (Mexico), Andrei Kirilenko (Russia) and Mirza Teletovic (Bosnia).

Tim Bontemps reports the guarantee on next year's deal is small.

Jason Kidd called the newest Net --and fellow Cal product--"awesome."

“He’s been great,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Tough kid … sprained his ankle and kept playing, he knocked down shots. … For the 20 days he’s been here, he’s been awesome.

But what the NBA giveth, the NBA taketh away.  Not long after the Nets announced that Gutierrez had signed, the NBA announced that he had received a hefty fine for his flagrant 2 foul Wednesday night on Cody Zeller of the Bobcats.

Gutierrez said he wasn't sure whether he'd appeal. The fine, the biggest given a Nets player this season, amounts to a little more than half what the 25-year-old earned during his second 10-day contract.  Counting both 10-day deals and what he will receive, pro-rated, as a rookie for the remainder of the year, Gutierrez will earn a little more than $120,000 in 2014.  If he makes the team next fall, he'll receive another $816,482. The Nets would then control Gutierrez's Early Bird rights.

Gutierrez has played five games with Brooklyn, averaging 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 13.4 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 10 points versus Boston on March 21. Before being ejected on Wednesday, the 6'3" Cal product had scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting and had handed out two assists in 19 minutes.

Gutierrez, the PAC-12 player of the year in 2012, went undrafted but was invited to Nets training camp last summer. He joined the Canton Charge of the D-League, then was called up by the Nets after Tyshawn Taylor was traded and Marquis Teague didn't produce as expected.  In recent games, he's seen some early minutes.

Gutierrez is only the fourth Mexican player in NBA history and one of two currently playing.  Gustavo Ayon, Gutierrez's teammate on last summer's FIBA Americas championship squad, is the other.  Gutierrez may be the first undocumented immigrant to play in the NBA as well, coming to Colorado from Chihuahua in Mexico a decade ago. That journey was the subject of a long feature on Gutierrez in Sports Illustrated.

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