NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Demand Payback for Donatas Motiejunas Disaster; James Harden, Dwight Howard Call For Detroit Pistons Penalty

By Mitch de Leon
NBA: Houston Rockets at Toronto Raptors
Mar 6, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Hoouston Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas (20) grabs a rebound next to Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valiencunas (17) in the first quarter at Air Canada Centre.  Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Detroit Pistons made headlines during the recently concluded NBA trade deadline when the blockbuster deal involving the basketball teams was rescinded. To curb their expenses, the James Harden squad placed Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton in the trading block - a move that later on attracted the Reggie Jackson team. However, things fell apart when the Lithunian basketball star failed the physical examination.

Days following the breakdown of the NBA trade, the Detroit Pistons appear to still not be off the hook. While the Andre Drummond squad managed to save themselves from a purportedly problematic situation with Motiejunas, it appears that a lawsuit and penalties are in their future. Reports are now surfacing that the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and the Houston Rockets star are mulling over filing complaints against the Detroit Pistons.

League sources revealed via Yahoo Sports that the NBPA are "strongly considering" calling for an investigation with the NBA regarding the issue. The insiders claimed that the organization is looking into "filing a grievance" with the league due to the "concerns" behind the Detroit Pistons' move to cancel the NBA trade with the Houston Rockets. Apart from the NBPA, Motiejunas is also mulling over his next move against the Detroit Pistons.

"Now I will be talking to my agent and lawyers to clarify what to do next," said Motiejunas following the announcement to cancel the NBA trade involving him. He added, "The Pistons had access to my full medical history, so they shouldn't have done what they did to me. They decreased my value. The medical examination I 'failed' was a joke. The Pistons will have some explaining to do why they did not want the trade anymore. We will see what happens."

According to the 25-year-old Houston Rockets star, the decision to rescind his trade had nothing to do with health concerns. Motiejunas pointed out that the Detroit Pistons simply wanted to exploit a loophole to back out from the deal. He also noted that his physical condition was no longer a concern, referring to the fact that he managed to take part in practices after his back surgery.

"The team doctor simply says whether you pass or don't, although they may not do any checks," shared Motiejunas in an interview withBasket News, as translated via Reddit. The Houston Rockets star added, "Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether they want you or not. The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it. I just got screwed. The injury was a pretense to call of the trade. They changed their minds."

As for Stan Van Gundy, the Detroit Pistons coach and president shared that the move was a business decision. That is, signing Motiejunas posed "too much risk" for the NBA team. The exec also insisted that the basketball team implemented a "very thorough process" before contacting the Houston Rockets once again regarding the trade. Despite the claims of Motiejunas, Van Gundy shared that he understands the issues plaguing the star.

"Look I feel bad for him, too, because I understand his point regarding his value and everything else," said Van Gundy via Michigan Live. "But we felt we had to make the decision we made."

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