The Houston Rockets 2015-16 season did not get off to a very good start, as they were blown out by the Denver Nuggets at home. The Rockets were without Dwight Howard, but either way they were certainly expected to beat a Nuggets team with little to no expectations. One of the few bright spots for the Rockets was power forward Terrence Jones, who had 15 points and six rebounds on 6-13 shooting. Jones has been solid for the Rockets the past few years, and he is eligible for an extension along with Donatas Motiejunas, but it is being reported that neither player will be getting one, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports.
The Rockets have reportedly had preliminary talks with both players' representation, but they have not gained any traction and they have decided to kick the tires on negotiations as the Nov. 2 deadline approaches. The Rockets were never really all that interested in extending either player unless it was at a reasonable price because they want to have cap room for next summer.
Both players will now enter restricted free agency next summer, and while the Rockets will be able to match any offer for either player they won't have the luxury of setting the price for either of them. Both players were reportedly asking for more than the Rockets were willing to give in these negotiations, and now they have a chance to improve their value with a great season.
Jones was the Rockets' first round pick in 2012 out of Kentucky, and he has been a very good player for them as their starting power forward for the most part. Jones has averaged 12 points and just fewer than seven rebounds per game over the past two seasons while making 54 percent of his field goals. In his fourth season in the league, the former Wildcat should be in for another very good year, and if his first game is any indication he will get himself a nice contract next summer.
Motiejunas was the Rockets' first round pick back in 2011 out of Lithuania, and he came on strong last season. With Jones missing a lot of time due to injury, the 7-foot forward started 62 games and averaged 12 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while making 37 percent of his threes. Motiejunas is currently dealing with a back injury that kept him out of the opener, and his timetable for a return is unknown, but he should come off the bench this year and will likely struggle to match last season's numbers.
