Rockets release Donatas Motiejunas

Story.

After a summer of back-and-forth that intensified in the past few weeks after he signed an offer sheet with Brooklyn that the Rockets matched, Houston will outright released Donatas Motiejunas, the team announced Thursday. From the team press release:

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that after extensive discussions with Donatas Motiejunas, his representatives, and the NBA league office, the Rockets will renounce Motiejunas and he will become an unrestricted free agent.

“Donatas was a true professional throughout his four seasons with the Rockets,” said Morey. “We wish Donatas the best moving forward and want to thank him for his contributions both on the court and in the community.”

This is a sign that whatever the Rockets found in their latest physical with him, it hit them hard. They could have simply failed him at the physical, and he would have been a restricted free agent again, giving Houston some leverage. Instead, they let him go.

He can now sign with any team except Brooklyn (he cannot sign with them for one year after signing the offer sheet with them before).

Seems Motiejunas gambled and lost when he held out for more money, after the Rockets initially didn't include the incentives the Nets had upon matching the offer sheet (since they didn't have to). I guess it might've still gone down this way once it came time to the physical, but either way, sounds like it'll be tough for him to get a deal that good after this. A shame, as he seems to have talent and potential, but those back problems sound serious.

Houston played hard ball and won here, the Brooklyn deal was worth 6 million more in incentives that the Rockets wouldn't have to honour as it wasn't written into the contract.

A bad job done by his agent here.

BJ Armstrong is the one to blame on this.

Hope a team signs him and able to contribute immediately.

If his back injuries are that bad, he was probably going to fail a physical at some point and lose out on the deal. Still, perhaps the Rockets would've signed him in good faith, maybe to a partially guaranteed contract, had he and Armstrong not tried to play hardball themselves.

Sounds like he and BJ won here. Housto did him a favor and released him. Too bad he can't sign with the nets but at least he doesn't have to stay with Houston anymore.

Sounds like he and BJ won here. Housto did him a favor and released him. Too bad he can't sign with the nets but at least he doesn't have to stay with Houston anymore.

There was very little interest for him this summer following the back issues he had, The Nets were willing to take a chance on him which hasnt worked out with the Rockets matching but i fully expect him to get low balled by any team that makes him an offer from here on out.

True and I don't think another team has that amount of cap space to offer him. Maybe Philly.

I did hear Houston could have just held on to him, next year still he would have been restricted, and continue the crappy process

Good point, they did win in terms of getting out of restricted free agency. With his back issues though, they seem to have lost out on a big payday. Maybe that'll come around again, but it probably won't be soon, barring a miraculous recovery for his back issues.