Lithuanian forward Donatas Motiejunas will have to sit out NBA action for now after the Houston Rockets rescinded their contract offer. Regardless, he will remain a restricted free agent for the Rockets even if he opts to play abroad.
Apparently both parties failed to come to an agreement before the Nov. 23 cut-off where players were eligible to sign deals and qualify for NBA trades on Feb. 23. With the inability of both sides to reach a compromise, all that is now gloomy.
According to ESPN, Donatas Motiejunas turned down the $4.4 million offer by the Houston Rockets which made him a restricted free agent back in Oct. 1. The Rockets tried again with a $7 million annual deal but the Lithuanian still shot the offer down.
To date, no team has signed Motiejunas to an offer sheet which the Rockets could easily match, Pro Basketball Talk reported. It remains to be seen if a buyout may happen soon with the Lithuanian looking for a more lucrative deal.
The development hurts Motiejunas more as far as playing in the NBA is concerned. It is likely that he will play abroad unless some team is able to successfully close a deal with the Rockets.
Motiejunas was seen as perfect for the system of new head coach Mike D’Antoni had both sides come to an agreement. He has proven to be a good offensive sock as witnessed by his early years in the NBA. He could be a good stretch-four player for the Rockets, someone that would even allow the Rockets to play tall and fast.
Sadly this may not be a possibility unless the Rockets give Motiejunas his asking price. The Rockets are also holding back because of the Lithuanian’s back issues that occurred a season ago. Hence, it becomes touch-and-go for Motiejunas and the Rockets from here.