There is a reason why the Houston Rockets renounced the rights to Terrence Jones, now of the New Orleans Pelicans, but not Donatas Motiejunas, who remains unsigned.
He is a pretty hot commodity.
Don’t let his current status fool you. D-Mo is a wanted man, per Fox 26’s Mark Berman:
Forward Donatas Motiejunas would be happy to return to the Houston Rockets, but he said other teams are talking with his agent.
Motiejunas is a restricted free agent and the Rockets retain the right to match any offer he gets, but he points out he could still wind up elsewhere.
“Yeah of course,” Motiejunas said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports from Lithuania. “There are a couple of teams that still have a lot of interest in me.
“I’m not necessarily back. There are teams that also have a chance to offer (a contract). You never know what’s going to happen, but if it ends up I’m coming back, I’m really happy.
“I spent four beautiful years with the Rockets, and I’ll be happy to wear the red color another three-four (years), whatever it’s going to be.”
A leverage play? Maybe. But most free agents who remain unsigned at this time, with the exception of LeBron James, have virtually no leverage. It’s more likely that D-Mo is slinging the truth.
After all, it’s his price tag that was impacted most by last season, in addition to his other injury-marred years. He missed 45 games while dealing with back issues that began at the end of 2014-15. They were so bad that he failed a physical following a trade that would have landed him with the Detroit Pistons.
Back injuries to young bigs are no joke. There probably aren’t many, if any, teams willing to offer him a sizable long-term deal. He will probably settle for a modestly priced multiyear offer, or a more lucrative short-term agreement.
Still, seven-footers who, in theory, can shoot threes and survive as a rim protector don’t grow on trees. Motiejunas’ skill set, however unproven, is the direction in which the NBA’s center position is headed. He will find a home somewhere, even if it’s not with the Houston Rockets.
And should his deal be of the Terrence Jones persuasion, where he sacrifices money and guaranteed years, it will be his own decision—because, rest assured, there will have been better offers.
