Donatas Motiejunas Will Not Report To Houston Rockets If New Deal Cannot Be Reached


So much for some resolution with the Houston Rockets and Donatas Motiejunas. The stalemate that once had an ending in sight has returned. The Rockets cannot get the Lithuanian forward to report to the team. So many things have gone wrong with this situation and everyone involved is feeling the acrimony. Come to think about it, it could have all been avoided.

While most of the free agents from the summer have found new homes or remained with their teams, Donatas Motiejunas still sits unsigned. Nearly 25 percent of the NBA season has taken place, yet he and the Rockets are squabbling. Prior to November 23, the Rockets could have dealt Motiejunas to another team in a sign-and-trade. Both sides were so far apart on a contract agreement that the Rockets decided to pull their offer (courtesy of ESPN) just hours before the deadline passed.

Doing such allowed Motiejunas to hit the open market as a restricted NBA free agent. He was free to sign an offer sheet with another NBA team, allowing the Rockets 72 hours to match the deal. After a brief courtship, the Brooklyn Nets took a chance at signing Motiejunas. Per the New York Post, the Nets handed Motiejunas a four-year, $37 million offer sheet, that includes some financial incentives. The Rockets would then match the deal within the 72-hour window.

Donatas Motiejunas defends DeAndre Jordan
Donatas Motiejunas remains a restricted free agent after failing to come to terms on a deal with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets matched an offer sheet the forward received from the Brooklyn Nets. [Image by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

It has been two days since the Rockets matched the offer sheet Donatas Motiejunas received from the Nets and the forward refuses to report (courtesy of NBA) and take a physical with the team. This is clearly a situation where neither side wants to be bothered with the other. Letting Motiejunas go to the Nets would have ended the stalemate.

According to ESPN, the holdup is the incentives that the Nets put into their offer sheet. It totals up to more than a $6 million difference between the Nets’ offer sheet and what the Rockets matched. Houston only had to match the initial terms of the Nets contract, which was a guarantee of $31 million. Instead of letting Motiejunas leave, the problems continue over $6 million.

If the Nets had upped their guaranteed offer to the $37 million, then include an additional $6 million on incentives, it likely would have been too much for the Rockets to match. Brooklyn generated an offer that was manageable for themselves and the Houston Rockets.

Donatas Motiejunas
Donatas Motiejunas is not falling for the Houston Rockets’ decision to match the offer sheet he received from the Brooklyn Nets. [Image by Bob Levey/Getty Images]

While the Rockets could not come to an agreement with Motijunas during the off-season, it was speculated that he would take the offer which was pulled off the table. That deal was reported to be around an average of $7 million per season.

The average annual salary fell just short of what the Nets were offering if the incentives were taken out. Unless Motijunas changes his mind, there will be no deal. The Houston Rockets retains the right to toss out their version of the offer sheet, which makes Motijunas a restricted free agent immediately. According to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, the Nets can not sign him for at least a year.

With the Brooklyn Nets out of the picture, the Houston Rockets have one less team to be concerned with. Very few teams have the available cap space to sign him, and they will likely stay away out of fear that the Rockets will match the offer sheet. The Rockets can always offer Donatas Motiejunas a better contract, which he is reportedly susceptible to, but at this rate, the stalemate is expected to continue.

[Featured Image by Harry How/Getty Images]

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