Houston Rockets center Donatas Motiejunas has officially become a restricted free agent.
The Lithuanian big man couldn't come to an agreement with the Rockets after speaking with them one last time before his $4.4 million qualifying offer expired on Sunday.
After failing a physical for the Detroit Pistons in a trade, Motiejunas has been in a stalemate with the Rockets for a better contract, and accused the team of leveraging his free agent status against him.
Motiejunas suffered a herniated disc in his back last season and spent time between the Rockets and its D-League affiliate Rio Grande Vipers. He averaged 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game which is about half of what he averaged the previous season.
Although his style of play fits into head coach Mike D'antoni‘s system, the Rockets will let the market dictate his value where they can keep him if the deal is cheaper, or let him go if they are unwilling to pay a higher price.
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