According to a report on September 14th by ESPN’s Calvin Watkins, BJ Armstrong, the agent for restricted free agent (RFA) Donatas Motiejunas is yet to receive a “serious offer” from the Houston Rockets. Donatas Motiejunas, or DMo, as nicknamed by Rockets fans (I prefer ‘Do-nuts and Cajunas’ even though it’s a little long), is a 7’0” power forward/center in the final year of his rookie deal who averaged 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game last season. What is a ‘serious offer’ for DMo is a good question, but evidently the qualifying offer of $3.27 million extended by the Rockets under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) didn’t cut the mustard with the young Lithuanian.
Under the CBA, a restricted free agent has up to October 1st to sign the qualifying offer before it expires (unless extended, which rarely happens). Despite his injury-ravaged season due to back issues and only playing in 37 games last season, the Rockets know $3.27 million is an absolute steal for DMo, especially under the new 2016-17 salary cap. DMo is a young big man (25 years old) who only one season ago in 2014-15 averaged 12 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game and started 62 games for the then Western Conference finalists. Understandably, you could be apprehensive about giving big money to a young player coming off a mediocre season and only playing in 37 games. If you are DMo and you look at this offseason’s other restricted free agent signings and see that Allen Crabbe was offered $75 million for 5 years by the Brooklyn Nets, which was matched by the Portland Trailblazers and Brooklyn again sent a truck of cash worth $50 million over 4 years to bench player Tyler Johnson, who missed most of the last season (also matched by the Miami Heat), $3.7 million is probably not a ‘serious offer’.
Unfortunately for DMo, such is the reality for the restricted free agency where DMo and his agent know that they can’t force Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey’s hand without an ‘offer sheet’ from another NBA team. Indeed, the Rockets are holding all the cards with DMo because even on expiry of the qualifying offer on October 1st, DMo will continue to be a restricted free agent, forcing his hand to sit and negotiate a new contract with his one and only suitor, the Rockets. And so, we have a Mexican stand-off in a Houston…one that doesn’t have the same spotlight as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson saga the last off-season, but nevertheless could have a significant impact on DMo and the Rockets going into training camp next week.
The Rockets hired offensive-minded new head coach Mike D’Antoni knowing they’re bringing in the spice to Morey’s Moneyball chilli and ensuring Houston has a coach at the helm that knows how to spin the wheels to drive, kick, push the tempo and shoot threes. Safe for another injury laden season for DMo, he should be a great fit into D’Antoni’s system. D’Antoni loves big men who can spread the floor and DMo drained 3 point shots above a league average rate at 36.8% in his much healthier 2014-15 season. If he does sign, the Rockets will be counting on that version of DMo again, and why shouldn’t they when he’s only 25, they will likely provide DMo with a much improved contract offer before the 2016-17 kicks off again...eventually.
