In January, Donatas Motiejunas signed with the New Orleans Pelicans as an unrestricted free agent. However, the lead up for Motiejunas to sign with a team was delayed for the first two months of the season. After receiving a contract from the Brooklyn Nets, the Houston Rockets matched their offer sheet and retain Motiejunas. Unfortunately, there were complications during that process.
Following from Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
Houston stripped out some of the Nets’ incentive bonuses, making the contract worth $31 million, and the dispute grew from there.
The Rockets and Motiejunas agreed to a reworked, middle-of-the-road deal worth $35 million with additional bonuses. When Motiejunas took his physical, though, the Rockets opted to renounce their rights to him, making him an unrestricted free agent. Motiejunas had failed a physical because of back problems in February of 2016 that negated a trade that would have sent him to Detroit.
Because of this prolonged situation, Motiejunas has opted to sue the Houston Rockets and NBA over the whole contractual dispute and the whole situation seems to be coming to an end soon.
Now he is seeking legal restitution, sources told Sporting News. Motiejunas is in the midst of an arbitration action against the Rockets and the NBA that is close to wrapping up.
