In desperate need of talent anywhere they can get it, the Brooklyn Nets appear to be rolling the dice on Donatas Motiejunas.
According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN on Thursday, the Nets are likely to sign Motiejunas to an offer sheet as early as Friday. The Houston Rockets still hold Motiejunas’ rights, so they would have three days to match any offer.
The 26-year-old Lithuanian big man became a restricted free agent this past offseason but was unable to land a deal from any team. Injury red flags were likely the culprit as concerns over the health of his back arose in February and voided a trade to the Detroit Pistons.
The paper-thin Nets haven’t been shy to extend big money to middling RFA talents in recent months, having signed Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe to offer sheets worth a combined $125 million over the summer (though ultimately failing to secure either one of them).
Motiejunas, who averaged 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his last season of good health in 2014-15, probably won’t command anything remotely comparable given the questions surrounding his physical condition. But as a strong low-post scorer and a serviceable floor-spacer, he might be able to carve out a decent role in a Brooklyn frontcourt rotation with no real answers behind Brook Lopez and Trevor Booker.
