Well, the Brooklyn Nets took their shot. Again. And they missed. Again.
The Nets signed restricted free agents Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson to offer sheets over the summer. Both deals were matched by incumbent teams.
Fast forward to December, and the Nets took a shot on unsigned restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas. But his incumbent team, the Houston Rockets, matched his offer sheet, too.
Here’s the New York Post‘s Brian Lewis with the details:
The Nets swung and missed for the third time on a restricted free agent, with Houston matching their four-year, $37 million offer sheet to Donatas Motiejunas.
“It’s obviously disappointing when you miss out on a chance to acquire another asset,’’ said general manager Sean Marks. “But at the same time it shows us we were going down the right path knowing that another team [agreed], that he was matched, just like the guys in the past.”
This deal made too much for the Rockets not to match. Earlier reports had them offering something like $7 to $8 million per year. This offer comes in at a tick over $9 million, and it’s only partially guaranteed.
When you think about what a healthy Motiejunas, who profiles as a stretch 5 with some rim-protecting chops, can accomplish under head coach Mike D’Antoni, it’s no surprise that the Rockets rolled the dice. This is a risk a worth taking for them—just as it was for the Nets, who have at the very least now shown they’ll be aggressive in pursuing outside talent.
