The dance between Donatas Motiejunas and the Houston Rockets is finally over.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:
After pulling offer sheet, Houston is signing Motiejunas to a four-year, $35M deal, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) December 9, 2016
Bonuses could make the Motiejunas deal worth as much as $37M over life of the deal, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) December 9, 2016
And so ends one of the more bizarre player-team sagas in recent memory.
Houston tried to deal Motiejunas to the Detroit Pistons ahead of last year’s trade deadline, only to have him fail his physical and the transaction be rescinded. Motiejunas finished the year in the Rockets’ rotation, but the two sides couldn’t reach a contract agreement in restricted free agency.
No other team forced the Rockets’ hands over the summer. It wasn’t until the Brooklyn Nets signed Motiejunas to an offer sheet at the beginning of December that the Rockets were compelled to act. They matched Brooklyn’s offer, but Motiejunas failed to appear for his physical, leaving many to wonder what the Rockets would do next.
Which brings us here, to now. Houston and Motiejunas have apparently worked things out. And while their may still be some ill will emanating from both sides, head coach Mike D’Antoni will welcome Motiejunas with open arms, as the stretchy 5 his rotation wouldn’t otherwise have.
