Although the trade deadline was quiet for the most part, a lot of people agreed that the Detroit Pistons made the biggest and best moves. The biggest move was acquiring Tobias Harris from the Magic but they also made a deal to get Donatas Motiejunas from the Rockets. All of these deals are obviously pending physicals and because of that the trade involving Motiejunas is in the process of being voided in compliance with the NBA, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The original deal was supposed to be Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton heading to the Pistons while the Rockets got back a top-8 protected first-round pick and Joel Anthony. The Rockets then traded Anthony to the 76ers but now it is all moot. The reason for the undoing of this trade is that the Pistons did not pass him on his physical, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Motiejunas has dealt with back problems all year which have limited him to just 14 games and the physical apparently uncovered what the Pistons see as long-term issues.
There had been talks that this trade might be voided because of Motiejunas' back but this outcome is still a bit surprising. Motiejunas is a perfect fit for Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons system so for him to void the trade there must be some serious long-term issues with his back. Also the Pistons are on the outside of the playoff picture and trying to fight their way in, Thornton would have been a huge help in that regard with his bench scoring.
For the Rockets this deal being voided is somewhat of a gut punch. They like Motiejunas as a player but clearly his health is a major question mark at best. This deal would have gotten them under the luxury tax and would have likely given them a first-round pick. Now they are stuck with Motiejunas, who likely won't play much and Thornton, who thought he was traded, instead of a future asset.
For Motiejunas, he is set to become a restricted free agent after this season is over and there were already thoughts the Rockets wouldn't re-sign him. Now with this trade being voided because of a failed physical his value is at an all-time low. Motiejunas will have to prove, at some point, over the last couple of months of this season that he can play at a high level despite his back issues if he wants a lucrative contract this offseason. Even then though, his back issues will still likely scare plenty of teams away.
