The Rockets won’t withdraw their first refusal exercise notice on Donatas Motiejunas‘ offer sheet, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). For now, Houston appears willing to wait out the situation in the hopes that Motiejunas eventually reports to the team and finalizes his deal.
As we noted yesterday, Motiejunas is reportedly at odds with the Rockets over a $6MM discrepancy between the offer sheet he signed with the Nets and the deal he’d have to sign with the Rockets. Motiejunas’ four-year, $37MM offer sheet from Brooklyn featured $4MM in likely incentives and $2MM in unlikely incentives. Because those bonuses weren’t included in the principal terms of the contract, the Rockets had no obligation to match them, meaning the deal is now worth $31MM.
With Motiejunas not reporting to the Rockets, the team had two options: Wait out the situation, or withdraw its refusal notice and return him to restricted free agency. In the latter scenario, Motiejunas would be unable to sign another offer sheet with the Nets, but he could sign one with any other team. When I examined the 26-year-old’s options yesterday, I pointed out that there would be little incentive for the Rockets to make Motiejunas an RFA again if they felt there was any chance a team would put a bigger offer on the table, forcing Houston to pay more to match it.
It’s possible that the two sides could work out a new arrangement that perhaps restores some of the incentives Motiejunas lost out on when the Rockets matched his offer sheet. But Houston has worked players like Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell into its rotation in Motiejunas’ absence, and the team doesn’t appear to be missing him too badly. If they were to renegotiate the deal, the Rockets would almost certainly want to push back the date on which Motiejunas’ 2017/18 salary becomes guaranteed — the Nets’ offer sheet calls for that to happen on March 1.
March 1 is also a date to watch because after that point Motiejunas can’t sign an offer sheet with another team during the 2016/17 league year. Beginning in March, the veteran forward can only sign with the Rockets, and if he doesn’t get something done, he’d be a restricted free agent again in 2017/18. If the two sides remain in a standoff, Motiejunas’ camp may ultimately relent in late February, since their client’s leverage would be further limited after that time. Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com made that same point today in his Insider-only look at the situation with cap expert Larry Coon.
Dude has played his hand VERY poorly. I suggest he hire a new agent and report. He’ll have to make it on only 30 million somehow?
Hmm…eat $6M and play or eat $31M + future earnings to sit out. Not a very smart business move.
Let him go back to Lithuania and play if he doesn’t like how America does things.
Let’s make American Basketball great again!
Is he even worth the trouble, bad back, limited game…
Pay the man his money or let him go to another team
You obviously have no idea how this works do you? The Rockets are waiting for D-Mo to make a move. They have matched the initial offer not including the incentives the Nets had put into his contract. D-Mo and his agent are just extremely greedy and will not take the money the Rockets are offering him. Are they supposed to let the Agent strong arm his way to a better deal? Do some research, then post a comment.
He’s at odds with the rockets over the 6 mil I’d be holding out to for it. They aren’t extremely greedy they are trying to maximize his earning while he can. You could also do some research before showing how self absorbed you are bbfan
How is DMo greedy for wanting the incentives in his contact but the rockets aren’t greedy for not giving it to him???
Exactly
Naw man he clearly doesn’t want to be in Houston, especially for less money than he could make playing where he wants.
That’s a poor thing to consider. I find restricted free agency to be gross to the player and further the notion that are only a commodity.
If you won’t match what the other team offered (IN FULL) then let him go to that team. Another systematic flaw in restricted free agency.
“now that you want him, we are going to forcefully keep him, and pay him less on top of that”
Looks like the Rockets know their rights as well. Rockets are not letting him go back to open market and there is nothing his agent can do about it,but try to work it out with Rockets or stay home and not get paid, and same thing next season. Looks like his agent knew about a right and that’s all.