Whether D-Mo likes it or not, he’s under contract, on roster
The Rockets will hold forward/center Donatas Motiejunas to the offer sheet he signed and they matched Monday, converting the offer sheet to a contract and including him on their roster, a person with knowledge of the decision said Thursday.
The individual spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.
The Rockets included Motiejunas on their roster and inactive list for Wednesday’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, though Motiejunas refused to undergo his team physical after their decision to match the Brooklyn Nets’ offer.
If Motiejunas does not report, he will be considered a part of the Rockets’ roster until March 1. That would prevent him from negotiating with any other team. The agreement with FIBA and the NBA makes it unlikely it would sanction him joining a team in another league.
The contract with the Nets could have been worth as much as $37 million over four years if Motiejunas met every incentive bonus in the contract and the Nets did not opt out of any of the seasons. The Rockets only needed to match the principle salary in the contract, making it worth as much as $31 million over four seasons.
Motiejunas’ agent, B.J. Armstrong, said Motiejunas was exercising his rights by not reporting.
The Rockets can opt out of the remainder of the contract on March 1 and can opt out again after the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 seasons.
Motiejunas averaged 7.8 points and four rebounds in his four seasons. He averaged 12 points on 50.4 percent shooting in the 2014-15 season before a back injury ended his season in March.
Rockets players, coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey have said they want D-Mo back.
Morey said Friday, after receiving the offer sheet, that he still intended to have Motiejunas with the team this season. D’Antoni has said every day since that he anticipates no problems after the long contract impasse and would welcome Motiejunas’ abilities to the mix, despite the strong play of his frontcourt to date.
“It’s always an open door and we can’t wait to have him if that works out,” D’Antoni said before Wednesday’s 134-95 victory. “He will definitely be a positive. No negatives there.”