The Brooklyn Nets front court could be seeing some more depth as the team signs Donatas Motiejunas to a four-year, $37 million contract.
Adrian Wojnarowski from The Vertical first reported the news, and it comes a day after the Brooklyn Nets had Motiejunas in town for a physical. Being a restricted free agent, the Houston Rockets have three days to match the Nets’ offer sheet. It seems unlikely that they do. Houston had a chance to ink D-Mo to a deal ahead of the season, but the money was too steep for the Rockets liking.
The Nets also announced the signing via Twitter:
The Brooklyn #Nets have signed free agent Donatas Motiejunas to a multi-year contract offer sheet.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 3, 2016
According to Wojnarowski, the latter two years are non-guaranteed, which is a savvy move by Sean Marks. It also includes “trigger dates,” meaning the team to sign Motiejunas, either the Nets or Rockets, will need to pick up his option before free agency.
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Motiejunas appeared in just 37 games last year because of a back injury. He has suited up for 214 games during his four NBA seasons. All of those years were in Houston, and D-Mo had a solid campaign under Kevin McHale back in 2014-15. Over the course of 71 games, Motiejunas averaged 12 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.8 percent from three. He was also respectable with his back to the basket, giving the Rockets a nice dynamic.
Furthermore, he was stout defensively, posting a defensive rating per 100 possessions of 105; Houston was eighth in defensive efficiency that season.
His impact in Brooklyn will be felt on both sides of the court if everything goes well, but he’ll undoubtedly bolster a defense that’s among the worst two in the league. His most fitting position is as Brook Lopez‘s backup, and the Nets could add a third seven-footer to their roster.
Motiejunas is a defensive upgrade from Justin Hamilton, and that allows Kenny Atkinson to play with offensive and defensive lineups if the situation allows it.
As always, health is a major concern, and Marks’ caution is showing.
There’s no reason for the Nets to shell out a lump sum of cash for a guy who might not play more than 70 games — it just doesn’t make sense. Furthermore, if he has a revival year and starts playing well, he could draw trade interest from other teams in the future.
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