default-cbs-image

In need of creative ways to improve their roster, the Brooklyn Nets signed big man Donatas Motiejunas to an offer sheet on Friday. The Houston Rockets have until Monday night to decide whether or not to match it.

First, the specifics: It's a four-year deal worth $37 million including bonuses, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski. Only $5 million, however, is fully guaranteed -- the other $3.5 million of this season's salary will become guaranteed if he is not waived by Jan. 10. After that, there are more "trigger dates" -- if Motiejunas is not waived before March 1, then his $9 million salary for next season will become guaranteed. For the last two non-guaranteed years of the deal, the trigger date is July 7.

Donatas Motiejunas yells
Donatas Motiejunas could give Houston a boost. USATSI

So, should the Rockets match it? Here are a few reasons why they might:

  • If you're just looking at pure dollars and production, Motiejunas is great value for Houston. Let's assume he plays all four years and gets all his bonuses -- that's $9.25 million in annual salary, much less than several reserves got in free agency in the summer. With the salary cap going up again next year, there are going to be more outrageous deals coming soon, too.
  • The Rockets could use him right now. They have high hopes for this season, and despite their incredible, 132-127 double-overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday and their 128-110 drubbing of the Denver Nuggets on Friday, they're not a perfect team. Motiejunas would give coach Mike D'Antoni another inside-out big man to play with, but his improved defense in the last couple of seasons is most important here. Houston is giving up 107.2 points per 100 possessions this season, 26th in the league, and it needs to make progress on that end if it is going to be a serious threat in the playoffs.
  • There is some flexibility here. Nobody wanted to sign Motiejunas to a fully guaranteed, long-term deal because of the concerns about his back. According to ESPN's Calvin Watkins, the Rockets are more worried about his health two years from now than at present. If it becomes an issue, they'll be able to get out of the contract because of the way it is structured.

And a few reasons why it's not immediately obvious that they will:

  • There are some restrictions here. Since Motiejunas signed an offer sheet, he can't be traded until the end of this season and can't be traded without his consent for a full year. If Houston's front office wants to make a big move next offseason, his contract could be a constraint.
  • At his best, he is one of the most effective post-up players in the league. D'Antoni, however, is famously not a fan of post-ups. Will Motiejunas be happy if his role on offense is simply to be a floor spacer and a finisher? That's an important question.
  • Adding Motiejunas would create a minor logjam. This isn't a Sixers situation, but the Rockets are going to give the majority of their frontcourt minutes to Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela. With Nene and Montrezl Harrell on the bench, there's not an immediate need for another big man in the rotation. I would call Motiejunas an upgrade, but there could be chemistry concerns.

In some ways, this is pretty simple. Motiejunas is a helpful player, and this is a fair offer sheet. This suggests that Houston, 13-7 this season with hopes of getting home-court advantage in the playoffs, should match it. Many thought that's what would happen with Chandler Parsons back in the summer of 2014, though, and the Rockets surprised everybody by letting him walk in order to preserve flexibility. The Nets struck out twice with restricted free agents Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson, but they wouldn't have done this Motiejunas deal without thinking they had a decent shot of getting him.