Houston Rockets power forward Terrence Jones and center Donatas Motiejunas appear destined to reach restricted free agency.
The two frontcourt players were unable to gain traction in contractual talks and will bypass the Nov. 2 extension deadline for players entering the fourth year of their rookie-scale contracts, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports.
Motiejunas was drafted 20th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011 and played a season internationally before being traded to the Rockets. The 7-foot Lithuanian showed glimpses of promise in his first two years, and came into his own for the first time last year when he averaged 12 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while filing in for an injured Dwight Howard.
The 25-year-old Motiejunas is one of the craftiest post players in the league as well as a smart passer with 3-point range.
Jones, meanwhile, was selected 18th overall by the Rockets in 2012. He secured a starting position in his second season, and has averaged 12 points and 6.9 rebounds since his rookie year.
Like Motiejunas, Jones is a versatile forward who's comfortable playing both inside the paint and on the perimeter. He's an explosive athlete with a lethal face-up game.
Two factors, however, loom over their respective contractual situations.
First, injuries have prevented both Jones and Motiejunas from playing more than 76 games in a campaign. Motiejunas is still recovering from a season-ending back injury, while Jones appeared in only 33 games last season due to a leg injury and admitted he wondered if his career was over.
The other issue is the escalating salary cap, which is slated to jump from $70 million this season to a forecasted $90 million next season. With every team expected to have significant cap space, Jones and Motiejunas have every reason to fish for raises as young restricted free agents.
For the time being, the players project to be two key pieces in the Rockets' frontcourt rotation, especially since Howard's still out indefinitely.
