Donatas Motiejunas no-shows his physical after Rockets match $37 million contract

Donatas Motiejunas is setting a new precedent for restricted free agency.

Just days after the Houston Rockets matched a Brooklyn Nets offer sheet worth $37 million over four years, Motiejunas declined to show up for his physical exam on Tuesday. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported the 26-year-old Lithuanian big man does not plan on taking the physical, throwing his status with the Rockets in doubt.

Motiejunas’ agent, B.J. Armstrong — who also represents Derrick Rose and Draymond Green — confirmed Tuesday afternoon to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle this was a deliberate strategy on their part.

“We have our rights,” Armstrong said. “We’re not going to show up. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what the Rockets do.”

Motiejunas remained a restricted free agent after opting to let the Rockets’ $4.4 million qualifying offer expire on Oct. 1. ESPN.com reported Houston offered a multi-year contract starting at $7 million per year, “with attainable incentives that could take it to $8 million” prior to Brooklyn’s offer, but that deal was reportedly taken off the table on Nov. 24.

He then signed a four-year offer sheet with the Nets, but as the team that drafted Motiejunas 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft, the Rockets reserved and exercised the right to match Brooklyn’s offer.

At this point, Houston’s options are limited. The team could allow Motiejunas to return to restricted free agency, or they could wait it out and see if Motiejunas changes his mind.

But Motiejunas cannot immediately go to his preferred destination in either case. Because the Rockets matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet, Motiejunas must wait a year until he can sign with the Nets. Other teams with cap space to make an offer include Denver, Philadelphia, Utah, Phoenix, Minnesota and Oklahoma City. He could also sign the veteran’s minimum with any team, but the Rockets would surely match.

Motiejunas also cannot be traded from his new team, Rockets or otherwise, before the NBA’s Feb. 23 trade deadline.

This is a change of heart for Motiejunas, who said three days ago that he wouldn’t be disappointed if the Rockets matched the Nets’ contract.

“It’s been four beautiful years in Houston,” he said, via FOX 26’s Mark Berman. “I’m happy with the people I was working with. I’m happy with the city. This is a business. Whichever jersey I’m going to wear, I’m going to play as hard as I can for the team.”

The Rockets attempted to deal Motiejunas, alongside Marcus Thornton, at last season’s trade deadline to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Detroit’s 2016 first-round pick (top-eight protected) and center Joel Anthony. But Pistons president Stan Van Gundy nixed the deal when Motiejunas failed his physical due to back problems.

The 26-year-old Lithuanian big man has been a serviceable player when healthy. In 71 games, including 62 starts for the Rockets in the 2014-15 season, Motiejunas averaged 12 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent shooting from downtown.

But Houston’s shooter has rarely been healthy, playing in just 214 of 328 possible games in his four-year NBA career.

Motiejunas appeared in just 37 games for the Rockets last season. He averaged 6.2 points on 28 percent shooting from three-point range.