Washington Wizards Should Sign Donatas Motiejunas

Washington Wizards should reach out to Donatas Motiejunas, who recently became an unrestricted free agent after being renounced by the Houston Rockets.

For years, the Washington Wizards had planned to make a major splash in summer ’16, but failed to convince all of the top free agents – including Kevin Durant and Al Horford – to come to the district.

Ernie Grunfeld quickly changed gears, opting to revamp the team’s second unit by focusing on adding youth for Scott Brooks, who’s become known for his player development chops.

The team wanted to regain their defensive identity and signed former Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi to a four-year deal.

Then, Grunfeld inked Tomas Satoransky and Andrew Nicholson – two players in their 20s with untapped potential – to multi-year deals.

Grunfeld also acquired Trey Burke, a former lottery pick, from the Utah Jazz.

The changes gave the Wizards a different, fresh look that the team hadn’t felt in years.

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Gone were the veterans that couldn’t play in an up-tempo offense nor finish a season without catching the injury plague.

The vets were replaced by hungry, driven youngsters who had the opportunity to join the core group in D.C.

John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter have all shown flashes of brilliance, and their skill-sets meshed – at least on paper – with the incoming players.

But so far this season, none of the new faces have done anything to solidify their spot in the nation’s capital.

Burke and Satoransky have both been in-and-out of the rotation, while Nicholson has just flat out underperformed after arriving with high expectations.

Washington’s second unit has been last in scoring for most of the season and Brooks has been forced to make changes on the fly.

By swapping Markieff Morris out of the game early for Kelly Oubre, Brooks is starting to get more out of his bench, but it’s still not enough. The second unit’s production is still too dependent on the guards – mainly Marcus Thornton and Burke – who’ve both been inconsistent.

Talent, ultimately, is what separates the good teams from the bad teams on every level, including the NBA. Washington doesn’t have enough talent on their second unit, with four roster spots being occupied by rookies, three of which weren’t even drafted.

If the Wizards want to seriously compete, they’ll have to make roster changes.

Grunfeld used all of the team’s cap space this off-season, so adding a big time name (there aren’t any available, anyway) is virtually impossible.

But the team could still reach out to players who are in unique situations, including former Houston Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas.

After months of waiting for a new deal, Motiejunas agreed to an offer-sheet with the Brooklyn Nets, which the Rockets matched.

Shortly after, Motiejunas opted not to report to Houston, forcing the Rockets to renounce his rights, making him an unrestricted free agent, as reported by ESPN’s Calvin Watkins.

"The Houston Rockets announced Thursday night the organization has renounced the rights to power forward Donatas Motiejunas, making him an unrestricted free agent.Rockets GM Daryl Morey said in a statement the team was in “extensive discussions” with Motiejunas’ agent, B.J. Armstrong, and the league office regarding his status."

The NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a team which agrees to a deal with a restricted free agent cannot sign said free agent for at least one year if the original team matches the contract. With that said, Motiejunas will not be able to join the Nets this season.

Most teams, including the Washington Wizards, won’t be able to offer Motiejunas the money he’s looking for without entering the luxury tax.

Even though Motiejunas has been a rotation player for most of his career, he’s not a game-changing talent that teams would be willing to pay the tax to acquire.

If Motiejunas decides to stay in the NBA and doesn’t want to go overseas for more money, he’ll have to prove his value by signing a short-term deal.

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That way, he’ll have an opportunity to get the payday he’s looking for next summer.

Washington has 15 players under contract – the most allowed by the league – but could clear a spot by waiving one of their undrafted rookies.

Sheldon McClellan and Danuel House have both spent time in the NBA Developmental League, and Daniel Ochefu hasn’t gotten any real playing time.

If the Wizards were to pursue Motiejunas, they could part ways with one of the aforementioned players.

While all three have potential to contribute in the future, Motiejunas would immediately become the Washington Wizards’ most productive player off the bench.

In 2015, Motiejunas averaged a career-high 12 points and 6 rebounds on 50 percent shooting from the field. The 7-footer knocked down 37 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc, making him a legitimate threat from the perimeter.

Per-36 minutes, Motiejunas put up over 15 points and 7 rebounds this past season. Currently, both Jason Smith – who’s been one of the most unproductive players in the NBA this year – and Mahinmi are dealing with injuries.

The opportunity for Motiejunas to earn a big contract is in Washington. Brooks doesn’t have many options to work with and Montiejunas is capable of contributing immediately.

Motiejunas has played both the power-forward and center position, and given his offensive versatility, he can share the court with virtually everyone on the roster.

Next: Wizards Should Consider Starting Oubre

Washington passed on Motiejunas in the summer, but they might have a chance to snag him right now. Even if he doesn’t agree to a deal, picking up the phone cannot hurt.

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Washington Wizards NBA Free Agency 2016: Wizards Should Reach Out To Donatas Motiejunas

By Ben Mehic | Dec 17, 2016

Washington Wizards should reach out to Donatas Motiejunas, who recently became an unrestricted free agent after being renounced by the Houston Rockets.

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