An enthusiastic Brooklyn Nets front office could sign Houston Rockets restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas to an offer sheet as soon as Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
A constant uncertainty around Houston’s willingness to agree to a long-term deal with the versatile center has been focused on his recurring back issues.
The 26-year-old Motiejunas, who played 37 games last season, was examined by Nets doctors and medical staff in the past week, according to league sources, and the results gave the team comfort to move forward on the offer sheet.
If the Nets indeed pull the trigger, the Rockets will have three days to match the offer and retain their 7-footer, or lose him to Brooklyn. Houston had previously offered a deal in the $8 million annual range but short on the guaranteed length.
Depending on the substance of the deal in terms of contract size and guaranteed years, the Rockets may have a strong interest in matching an offer sheet for Motiejunas and getting him back into the rotation, according to league sources.
The Lithuanian international and the Rockets had been unable to come to terms on an agreement, causing the big man to miss training camp and put his future on hold until he receives an offer that catches his eye.
The Nets have nearly $19 million in available salary-cap space to assemble an offer that will be devastatingly risky for Houston to match.
This would be the third restricted free agent offer sheet Brooklyn executes under new general manager Sean Marks. Offer sheets to Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Allen Crabbe (four years, $75 million) and Miami Heat shooting guard Tyler Johnson (four years, $50 million) were matched by their respective teams. With a hollowed out roster and Brook Lopez as the centerpiece of the team, Marks has had to come up with creative ways to slowly improve the talent pool within the team.
The Rockets had a three-way trade that would’ve sent Motiejunas along with shooting guard Marcus Thornton to the Detroit Pistons, which was ultimately nixed last season after team doctors failed Motiejunas’ physical exam because of his back — a trade mishap that sent red flags across the league.
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