Lakers guarantee contracts of Marcelo Huertas, Tarik Black, and Metta World Peace

The deadline to waive players with non-guaranteed NBA contracts was Friday at 2 PM. According to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, the Los Angeles Lakers opted not to do so with the three non-guaranteed contracts on their roster, thus guaranteeing the deals of Tarik Black, Metta World Peace, and Marcelo Huertas for the rest of the season.

World Peace has averaged 5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game, but was brought in mostly as a veteran mentor to Lakers sophomore power forward Julius Randle, who called the 15-year veteran "great for me. He's been through it all in this league, his feedback as far as helping me get better, helping me deal with things on a day-to-day basis on or off the court. He's been a great mentor, and I've said it from the beginning, I'm happy he's on this team."

Huertas has played in just 20 of the Lakers' 36 games, averaging just 12.6 minutes per appearance mostly as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option for the team. The 32-year old overseas veteran has averaged 3.4 points and 2.8 assists in his rookie NBA season.

Tarik Black impressed as an undrafted rookie the Lakers' claimed off of waivers from the Houston Rockets, averaging 6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 57.5% from the field. Black's ability to protect the rim on defense while finishing in the paint and setting solid screens on offense led to the Lakers' bringing him back for his sophomore campaign, but he has appeared in just nine games this season, averaging 3.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11 minutes per contest.

The small amount of playing time led the Lakers to send Black down to their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, for 5 games to get some run rather than letting him atrophy on the bench. Black has been impressive in the minor league, averaging 18.6 points and 13.2 rebounds with 1.8 blocks while making 59.7% of his field goals, even showcasing an improved jumper in the process.

Black has been buried behind Brandon Bass and Roy Hibbert thus far this season, but will in all likelihood begin to see more time in the second half of the year as the Lakers look to evaluate their younger players once the playoffs become even further out of reach.

All quotes obtained firsthand. All stats per NBA.com and stats.nbadleague.com